Gestational diabetes & diabetes in pregnancy
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Selected Cancers: A Danish National Register-based Cohort Study
Authors' conclusion
No elevated risk was found for the selected cancers combined. Women with previous GDM had an increased risk of kidney cancer, a rare cancer form.
Study context
- Population
- Women delivering in Denmark (Danish registry data), with vs without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
- Participants
- 314,742 deliveries
- Exposure
- GDM vs no GDM
- GDMn = 28,613
- Nonexposedn = 286,129reference
- Outcome
- Selected cancers combined (breast, gynecological, thyroid and kidney cancer)
- Follow-up
- Median 8.1 years
Methodological detailsnational register-based, 1:10 matched on calendar period of delivery, age (birth year) and region of residence, Poisson regression adjusted for educational level
- National register-based
- 1:10 matched on calendar period of delivery, age (birth year) and region of residence
- Poisson regression adjusted for educational level
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Selected cancers combined (breast, gynecological, thyroid, kidney)
No increased risk of selected cancers combined, history of GDM vs nonexposed: Adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR)
1.05
95% CI 0.94–1.18
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Breast cancer
- No increased risk of breast cancer: aIRR
- 1.02 (95% CI 0.89-1.17)
Gynecological cancer
- No increased risk of gynecological cancer: aIRR
- 1.00 (95% CI 0.79-1.26)
Thyroid cancer
- No increased risk of thyroid cancer: aIRR
- 1.26 (95% CI 0.86-1.82)
Kidney cancer
- Increased risk of kidney cancer in women with previous GDM vs without GDM: aIRR
- 1.92 (95% CI 1.10-3.33)
- Very small absolute risk
Original publication
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Selected Cancers: A Danish National Register-based Cohort Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 25 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →