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July 3rd, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda TUESDAY, July 3 (HealthDay News) — There’s more evidence that
people with type 2 diabetes may have an increased risk of bladder cancer,
and taking the diabetes drug Actos may raise that risk even higher.
Taking pioglitazone (brand name Actos) raised the risk of bladder
cancer by about one-fifth, according to a new analysis of previously
completed studies. However, the individual risk of getting bladder cancer
still remained quite low.
“The evidence suggests that this drug is associated with about a 22
percent increased risk of bladder cancer,” said study senior author
Jeffrey A. Johnson, the Canada Research Chair in Diabetes Health Outcomes
at the University of Alberta School of Public Health, in Canada.
This isn’t the first time the drug has been associated with heightened
odds for bladder cancer: A study published May 31 in BMJ found
that taking Actos for two years can double the risk.
Johnson said it’s not clear yet how Actos might raise the risk
of bladder cancer, but he said some animal studies suggested that the drug
could cause crystals to form that irritate the bladder, which could
potentially play a role in the development of bladder cancer.
Johnson added that it’s important to keep in mind that bladder cancer
is a relatively rare cancer, and even with the increased risk, any one
person’s risk of bladder cancer “is pretty small.”
Results of the new study are published July 3 in CMAJ (the Canadian
Medical Association Journal).
People with type 2 diabetes have a 40 percent increased risk of
developing bladder cancer, according to background information in the
current analysis. This increased risk is believed to be associated with
high levels of insulin found in people with type 2 diabetes. Insulin is a
hormone that helps the body turn carbohydrates from food into sugar
(glucose) that can be used for fuel. Insulin is also a growth hormone, and
cancer cells have insulin receptors on them, which means they can use
insulin to grow, according to Johnson.
A number of studies have found that taking certain diabetes medications
from a class of drugs known as thiazolidinediones appears to increase that
risk even more. Actos is a thiazolidinedione, as is the drug known as
Avandia (rosiglitazone). These medications are used in type 2 diabetes
because they make the body more sensitive to insulin, which reduces the
level of insulin the body needs. Because these drugs reduce the amount of
available insulin, Johnson said he suspects the link between Actos and
bladder cancer would have to be the result of a direct effect of the
medication.
In the current analysis, Johnson and his colleagues reviewed the
available data on thiazolidinediones and bladder cancer in type 2
diabetes. They included 10 studies in their analysis that had more than
2.6 million people. From that group, 3,643 people were newly diagnosed
with bladder cancer.
Not all of the studies found a link between Actos and bladder cancer.
One randomized controlled trial, which is the type of study considered the
“gold standard” for such research, found no association. However, the
other studies combined found a 15 percent increase in the risk of bladder
cancer with the use of thiazolidinediones, which the authors attribute to
the use of Actos. Overall, they found a 22 percent increased risk of
bladder cancer with the use of Actos.
None of the studies in their analysis showed an association between
bladder cancer and the use of Avandia. However, the use of Avandia isn’t
without risks. This medication has been linked to serious heart problems,
and use of this drug has been restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration.
“The bladder cancer risk appears to be real, but is pretty small. If
you’re not at risk of bladder cancer in the first place, the benefits of
pioglitazone [Actos] may outweigh the potential risk,” Johnson said.
Commenting on the study findings, Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the
clinical diabetes center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City,
said: “Complications of diabetes can be very bad, and some patients do
very well on Actos.”
He added that he sometimes uses this medication in combination with
other diabetes drugs. “Bladder cancer tends to be rare, but it’s much more
common in men and it’s also more common in smokers, so I don’t put elderly
male smokers on Actos. But, for other patients who have a low risk of
bladder cancer, I may use Actos. We just have to be vigilant when we
prescribe medications.”
Zonszein said it’s also important to remember that people with type 2
diabetes already have an elevated risk of bladder cancer, and they often
don’t start diabetes medications until they are much older, often obese
and have had the disease for awhile, so “there may be a population bias”
in the studies.
More information
Learn more about oral diabetes medications from the American Diabetes Association.
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