Type 2 diabetes (DM) is now considered an essential part of metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome, Reaven's syndrome, or syndrome X). In addition to type 2 diabetes, patients with this syndrome may present with arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and several other abnormalities. The presence of type 2 diabetes (DM) is, in addition to its metabolic consequences, also considered a significant risk factor for the development of several malignancies including the colon cancer. As a consequence of the increased prevalence of DM in recent decades, there is an increase in the prevalence of associated malignancies as well. One new possible link between DM and the increased incidence of tumors is a recently dis-covered group of nuclear receptors PPARs (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors). Their dysregulation might participate in the development of both DM and cancer. The aim of this article is to summarize recent findings on the relationship between DM and colorectal cancer in view of a possible role for PPAR receptors in the increased incidence of colon cancer in patients with DM.

        Key words: colorectal carcinoma, type 2 diabetes mellitus, PPAR, metabolic syndrome, Reaven's syndro¬me, syndrome X.