712 Background: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the urinary tract. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Their pleiotropic benefits including improved insulin sensitivity, potential anti-proliferative and anti- inflammatory benefits may significantly benefit these patients by potentially influencing tumor biology. Our study aims to evaluate the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on outcomes among patients with bladder carcinoma with comorbid obesity, exploring potential interactions between metabolic modulation and disease behaviour. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the US Collaborative Network TriNetX, covering January 2000 to December 2023, encompassing data from 105 global healthcare organizations. Adult patients aged 18 and above with bladder cancer and comorbid obesity were identified and then stratified into two groups based on treatment with GLP-1 agonists or not. The two groups were then propensity-matched based on age, sex, race, and common comorbidities. We followed these patients for 5 years to assess outcomes, including overall mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure, chronic kidney disease (CKD), ischemic stroke, risk of metabolic dysfunction associated liver disease and need for hemodialysis. Results: We identified 1282 patients with bladder cancer and obesity who received GLP-1 receptor agonists, and 10238 patients with bladder cancer and obesity who did not receive GLP-1 therapy. The average age was 67.3 years in the first cohort and 69 years in the second cohort. After propensity matching, each cohort consisted of 1282 patients with similar baseline characteristics and ethnicity distribution. Our analysis found that over 5 years, patients with bladder cancer and obesity who received GLP-1 receptor agonists had a significantly lower risk of overall mortality (Hazard Ratio (HR): 0.611, 95% CI: 0.515 to 0.725, p-value =0.04), myocardial infarction (Risk difference: -4.418%, 95% CI: -6.608% to -2.228%, p-value <0.001), heart failure (Risk difference: -5.226%, 95% CI: -8.883% to -1.569%, p-value =0.005), CKD (Risk difference: -7.193%, 95% CI: -10.675% to -3.711%, p-value <0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the risk of metabolic dysfunction associated liver disease and need for hemodialysis between the two subgroups. Conclusions: Our study revealed that patients with bladder cancer and obesity who received GLP-1 receptor agonists had a significantly lower risk of mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure and CKD. Further longitudinal cohort studies are imperative to better understand these associations and guide evidence-based clinical practice in this population.
Syal et al. (Sun,) studied this question.