GLP-1a therapy in sufferers with polycythemia vera was linked to vital reductions in mortality, illness development, and severe issues.
Remedy with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1a) was related to statistically vital reductions in all-cause mortality, development to myelofibrosis, and venous thromboembolism, in addition to decrease charges of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and acute kidney damage amongst sufferers with polycythemia vera, a sort of blood most cancers. It was additionally related to decreased charges of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic assault, based on findings from a large-scale evaluation offered on the 2025 SOHO Annual Assembly.
“Each parameter, each for main and secondary outcomes, was statistically considerably decreased in sufferers who had been taking a GLP-1a versus those that weren’t,” presenting writer Dr. Asfand Yar Cheema, said within the presentation.
Glossary
Glossary
Myelofibrosis: A dysfunction the place scar tissue builds up within the bone marrow, impairing blood cell manufacturing.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE): Blood clots that kind in veins, which might journey to the lungs or different organs.
Leukemic transformation: When a blood most cancers modifications into leukemia, a extra aggressive blood most cancers.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1a): Medicine used to deal with sort 2 diabetes and assist with weight administration which will additionally have an effect on blood most cancers threat.
Acute kidney damage (AKI): Sudden lack of kidney operate, usually reversible with therapy.
Transient ischemic assault (TIA): A quick episode of stroke-like signs brought on by short-term disruption of blood move to the mind.
Randomized managed trial: A research the place sufferers are randomly assigned to obtain a therapy or to not check its security and effectiveness.
He’s a hematology/oncology resident doctor on the Cleveland Clinic in Columbus, Ohio.
Amongst sufferers with polycythemia vera, these receiving GLP-1a skilled decrease charges of a number of unintended effects in contrast with non-users. Acute kidney damage occurred in 11.72% of GLP-1a customers versus 16.37% of non-users. Development to myelofibrosis was 1.70% in customers, in contrast with 3.06% in non-users.
Venous thromboembolism affected 8.33% of sufferers versus 11.41% in non-users and ICU admissions occurred in 7.45% of customers versus 13.35% of non-users; all-cause hospitalizations had been 44.82% versus 54.14%, respectively. Mortality was 4.47% amongst customers in contrast with 8.72% in non-users. Charges of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic assault had been 7.45% for sufferers versus 8.84% for non-users.
Polycythemia Vera Overview and Rising Position of GLP-1a
Polycythemia vera is a continual myeloproliferative neoplasm, with roughly 95% of sufferers harboring the JAK2 V617F mutation. Key issues embrace venous thromboembolism, which happens in roughly 34% to 41% of sufferers, development to myelofibrosis in 10% to fifteen% and leukemic transformation in 3% to 4%.
GLP-1a, primarily used for glycemic management and weight administration, have rising proof suggesting they could scale back the chance of myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative neoplasms in sufferers with sort 2 diabetes mellitus or autoimmune issues. Preclinical research point out these therapies possess antineoplastic and anti inflammatory exercise, producing cytostatic results and modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway.
Constructing on the preclinical rationale, investigators aimed to guage the affiliation between GLP-1a remedy and key medical outcomes in sufferers with polycythemia vera utilizing a big world database. The evaluation centered on main outcomes of all-cause mortality, development to myelofibrosis and venous thromboembolism. Secondary outcomes included all-cause hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, acute kidney damage and transient ischemic assault.
The research was carried out utilizing information from the TriNetX Analytics Community throughout 2010 to 2022, encompassing 147 healthcare organizations. The inhabitants included 5,291 sufferers with polycythemia vera receiving GLP-1a and 79,027 sufferers who weren’t utilizing these therapies.
Sufferers had been adopted for 3 years from the index occasion, outlined because the time of polycythemia vera prognosis whereas receiving GLP-1a remedy. The imply length of remedy amongst sufferers was roughly 298 days, with a regular deviation of roughly 162 days.
Examine Limitations and Future Analysis Instructions
Total, researchers emphasised that the usage of GLP-1a led to a therapeutic profit amongst sufferers. Moreover, remedy was linked to decreased healthcare utilization, together with fewer hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions, in addition to decrease charges of acute kidney damage and transient ischemic assault.
“Even once we seemed particularly at sufferers with sort 2 diabetes, GLP-1a confirmed very helpful outcomes,” Cheema highlighted.
Nevertheless, the research authors spotlight vital limitations. Its observational, retrospective design precludes conclusions about causality, and the TriNetX database affords restricted medical granularity. Outcomes could also be under-ascertained when sufferers obtain care exterior taking part establishments, and there’s the potential for misclassification or miscoding of diagnoses.
Regardless of these limitations, the findings recommend a possible therapeutic good thing about GLP-1a in high-risk polycythemia vera sufferers. Randomized managed trials are warranted to verify each the protection and efficacy of remedy on this inhabitants.
“Our research suggests a therapeutic good thing about GLP-1a in sufferers with polycythemia vera… though randomized managed trials are wanted to verify security and efficacy on this high-risk inhabitants,” he concludes.
Reference
- “Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists and Medical Outcomes in Polycythemia Vera: A Massive-Scale Propensity-Matched Cohort Examine” by Asfand Yar Cheema. Offered at: 2025 SOHO Annual Congress; Sept. 3-6, 2025; Houston, TX.
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