Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Taking DPP-4 Inhibitors Have a Lower Risk of Melanoma

A new study found that dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, a class of therapies used to control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes, may reduce the risk of melanoma but not nonmelanoma skin cancer. The results were presented at the 83rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego, California.

Researchers sought to determine whether DPP-4 inhibitors are linked to the incidence of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer compared with sulfonylureas. Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, they assessed 96,739 DPP-4 inhibitor users and 209,341 sulfonylurea users for melanoma, and 96,411 DPP-4 inhibitor users and 208,626 sulfonylurea users for nonmelanoma skin cancer.

According to the results, DPP-4 inhibitors were associated with a 23% decreased risk of melanoma compared with sulfonylureas (49.7 vs 65.3 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; hazard ratio [HR], 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.96). However, DPP-4 inhibitors were not associated with a reduced incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer compared with sulfonylureas (448.1 vs 426.1 per 100,000 person-years, respectively; HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.98-1.15). “In this large, population-based cohort study, DPP-4 inhibitors were associated with a reduced risk of melanoma, but not nonmelanoma skin cancer, compared with sulfonylureas,” the researchers concluded.