DENVER—Cinacalcet may help reduce mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in the “real world,” Japanese researchers reported.
Takayuki Hamano, ,MD, of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy in Tokyo, and colleagues used 2007, 2008, and 2009 survey data from the nationwide Japanese Renal Data Registry. The total number of surveyed subjects was 290,675 as of December 2009. All subjects underwent HD three times a week and had been dialyzed for at least two years. The study included patients if they had ever received cinacalcet, even if they discontinued the drug because of adverse effects. Investigators excluded patients who had a history of parathyroidectomy or percutaneous ethanol injection therapy.
The cinacalcet group, which included 5,278 patients, were compared with a control group of 10,566 patients who were never treated with cinacalcet. One-year all-cause mortality from the end of 2008 to the end of 2009 was compared between the two groups. Cinacalcet use was associated with a 59% decreased risk of death from any cause.
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The researchers said future studies will be needed to ascertain which treatment is more beneficial in decreasing mortality in dialysis patients with SHPT, cinacalcet or parathyroidectomy.
