A retrospective study on finding correlation of pioglitazone and incidences of bladder cancer in the Indian population

OBJECTIVES: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the clinical data of cancer patients conducted in a cancer hospital, Chennai to assess the correlation (if any) between use of antidiabetic agents including pioglitazone and the incidence of bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally, 5079 cancer patients’ with and without diabetes were included and analyzed in this retrospective study. RESULTS: A total of 1077 patient data were screened out of a total of 5079. A total of 20 patients were found to have bladder cancer. Out of 1077 patients, 31 were pioglitazone users on the drug for not less than 2 years. The remaining 1046 were on other drugs other than pioglitazone. It is observed that 1 out of 31 developed bladder cancer in the pioglitazone group 19 out of 1046 developed bladder cancer in the nonpioglitazone group. The result of the analysis indicates that there is no significant (P = 0.918) association between pioglitazone and bladder cancer. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study, the number of diabetic patients on pioglitazone with bladder cancer was fewer than the diabetic patients on other medications with the disease. Further, no link could be established between any specific drug use and bladder cancer. Least number of patients with bladder cancer was on pioglitazone, suggesting that pioglitazone alone cannot be considered a cause for increased incidence of bladder cancer in diabetic patients.