Metabolic Syndrome linked to bladder Cancer Risk: Study
Researchers have found in a new study that Metabolic Syndrome is linked to bladder Cancer Risk. It revealed that components of MetS-such as diabetes, low HDL, and high triglycerides-are significantly associated with higher bladder cancer risk.
This study employed bibliometric analysis to explore global research on metabolic syndrome (MetS) and bladder cancer (BC), focusing on characteristics and research trends. Additionally, a meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the association between MetS and its components and bladder cancer risk.
They conducted a comprehensive search of publications from 2002 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Visualization analysis was performed using the Open Scientometrics Data Analysis and Visualization Platform, VOSviewer software and the R package “bibliometrix”. For the meta-analysis, data from PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library up to March 22, 2022, were utilized. Literature from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science up to March 25, 2022, were retrieved, and data extraction was independently performed by two authors. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software.
Result: In the bibliometric analysis, 147 papers were included, and information on countries, institutions, authors, journals and keywords from Web of Science was analyzed and visualized. For the meta-analysis, 11 studies involving 665,164 patients were included. The pooled analysis of six case-control studies showed that patients with MetS had a higher risk of bladder cancer compared to the non-MetS control group (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.08–2.43, P < 0.01). Analysis of MetS components revealed that diabetes (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.32–0.61, P < 0.01), low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.19–0.44, P < 0.01) and high triglycerides (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.39–0.88, P < 0.01) were associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. In contrast, hypertension (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.62–1.12, P > 0.05) and obesity (OR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.44–1.45, P > 0.05) showed no significant association with bladder cancer risk.
This study provided valuable insights into the association between MetS and bladder cancer risk by identifying past research trends and hotspots. MetS and its components, such as diabetes, low HDL and high triglycerides, were associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.
Reference:
Yuan, Y., Liu, T., Yao, Y. et al. Metabolic syndrome and bladder cancer risk: a comprehensive evidence synthesis combining bibliometric and meta-analysis approaches. BMC Urol 25, 132 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12894-025-01812-9
