Insulin and other antidiabetic drugs and hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a nested case-control study based on Italian healthcare utilization databases

Purpose Insulin and other antidiabetic drugs may modulate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in diabetics. Methods We have analyzed the role of various antidiabetic drugs on HCC in a nested case-control study using the healthcare utilization databases of the Lombardy Region in Italy. This included 190 diabetic subjects with a hospital discharge reporting a diagnosis of malignant HCC and 3772 diabetic control subjects matched to each case on sex, age, date at cohort entry, and duration of follow-up. Results Increased risks of HCC were found for use of insulin (odds ratio [OR] = 3.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.52–5.51), sulfonylureas (OR = 1.39, 95%CI 0.98–1.99), and repaglinide (OR = 2…