When considering competing risks, only three (IGFBP-2, NT-proBNP, and ST2) and four (IL-4RA, CUB domain-containing protein 1, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 2 [TRAIL-R2], and chitinase-3-like protein 1 [CHI3L1]) proteins of the validated proteins in the group with T2D were significantly associated with cardiovascular and cancer-related mortality, respectively, while 15, 27 and four proteins remained significantly associated with the respective cause-specific outcomes in participants without T2D (Additional file 2: Table S8-S9). This evidence concerns the gene IL4R and cancer.