What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels?

Posted on Mon, 20 Mar 2017

Question: i had triple positive left Ca breast. was treated with A+C 4 cycles,herceptin(3cycles) paclitaxel (12 cycles),then lumpectomy,radiation and then rest of the herception).got treated.now 7-8 mths after completion of treatment i am detected to have high sugar levels ,HbA1c-13.8.can chemotherapy cause diabetes. isit going to persist or is it of short duration then i will be normal.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Abhay A Mali (34 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Chemotherapy may cause high blood sugar level depending upon drugs used.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for your question.
Noted your concern.

Yes, chemotherapy may case high blood sugar levels depending upon drugs used. But for Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab (herceptin) it is extreme rare to develop high blood sugar levels.
Also HbA1c of 13.8 7 to 8 months after completion of treatment may not be related to use of chemotherapy.
Most likely it is a Type 2 diabetes which can be confirmed with detailed physical examination and family history of diabetes.

With HbA1c of 13.8 I may suggest use of insulin.

Hope this helps you.

Regards,
Dr. Abhay Mali.
Diabetologist.

Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng