PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL — For years, reports of higher risks of breast and bladder cancer with the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have raised concerns.
A new study in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice pointed out that the issue has remained controversial and the drug classes’ effect on cancer mortality continued to be unknown.1
In response, a Brazilian study with involvement from the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in Seattle sought to evaluate the association between SGLT2 inhibitors and the risk of cancer outcomes.
To do that, the study team searched PubMed, Embase and CENTRAL up to June 20th, 2022, for randomized controlled trials of SGLT2 inhibitors in adults, with a minimum follow-up of 48 weeks. It performed meta-analyses summarizing the relative risks (RRs) of cancer outcomes.
Included were 76 trials encompassing 116,375 participants, were selected, with the researchers advising that overall risk of bias was low.
Results indicate that SGLT2 inhibitors did not reduce/increase the overall risk of cancer (RR, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-1.10) and cancer mortality (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.85-1.16). “SGLT2 inhibitors likely result in little to no difference in the risk of breast (RR, 1.01; 95% CI 0.77-1.32) and bladder cancers (RR, 0.93; 95% CI 0.71-1.21). Trial sequential analysis provided evidence that the sample size was sufficient to avoid missing alternative results,” the authors explained.
The study concluded that SGLT2 inhibitors are not associated with an increased risk of cancer outcomes, providing reassuring data regarding previous safety concerns.
- Spiazzi BF, Naibo RA, Wayerbacher LF, Piccoli GF, et. al. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors and cancer outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2023 Apr;198:110621. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110621. Epub 2023 Mar 13. PMID: 36921905.