Hold on..... it's DMX cable that can be used for AES? I have lots of those!!!
Both AES and DMX spec 110-Ohm cable (vs 75-ish Ohm for regular ol' analog audio cable). So yes, a 3-pin DMX cable is essentially the same as an AES compliant XLR cable.
Will regular analog audio cable work for AES or DMX? Sure, but as with most failures in the digital world, if/when it fails, it will be very noticeable.
Like Tim said, Cat cable is also generally 110-Ohms, which makes it a good candidate for AES, DMX, analog audio, etc, hence the popularity of "Catapult" convertors these days.