Diabetes and new-onset diabetes and early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer Over the past two decades, impressive progress has been made in national and international research on the interrelationship between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Several studies, including those published abroad in 2011, suggest that patients with new-onset diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those with a history of diabetes for more than 3 years. A population-based survey showed that patients with new-onset diabetes were 8 times more likely to develop pancreatic cancer within 3 years of reaching the diabetes diagnosis compared to the normal population. Some patients with pancreatic cancer have improved their diabetes and glucose intolerance after surgical treatment. Therefore, diabetes is an early manifestation of pancreatic cancer has been confirmed by numerous studies. In the author’s unit, a retrospective study on the proteomics of pancreatic cancer tissues with or without diabetes and a retrospective analysis of pancreatic cancer surgery patients with diabetes, obesity, alcohol consumption and other factors was conducted in the country 6 years ago, and it was found that diabetes is closely associated with pancreatic cancer. Therefore, studies on early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer at home and abroad have begun to focus on new-onset diabetes, and it has even been proposed to include new-onset diabetes as an indicator for the initial screening of pancreatic cancer. Some studies have shown that nearly half of the patients with pancreatic cancer are in operable status when their blood glucose values meet the diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus. However, the overall incidence of pancreatic cancer remains low compared to other common tumors due to the large number of patients with diabetes, so early screening for pancreatic cancer in the general population is not appropriate from an economic perspective. Also, some authors have found that pancreatic cancer detected at the time of new onset diabetes consultation is mostly intermediate to late stage and the prognosis for surgery is not favorable. Given the dramatic increase in the incidence of pancreatic cancer in China in the last decade or so, we must enhance our understanding of the incidence of pancreatic cancer in Chinese patients with diabetes and screen for relevant indicators that can help diagnose diabetes with pancreatic cancer, while minimizing the scope of screening follow-up. By carrying out these efforts, not only can we further understand the interrelationship between pancreatic cancer patients and diabetes in China, but also help to promote early diagnosis and early surgery of pancreatic cancer in China, which is of great practical importance to improve the 5-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients.