RESUMO
Patients with type 2 diabetes exhibit higher cardiovascular risk than normal individuals. Optimal blood glucose levels are rarely achieved in diabetic patients. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have emerged as a new antidiabetic drug class with multiple metabolic effects. Some trials have evaluated their safety, but it has been recently demonstrated that this new class has cardiovascular benefits, through other mechanisms than glycemic control. The use of GLP-1RAs was associated with a significant reduction of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, with a safe profile related to pancreatitis or thyroid cancer, as compared with placebo. This review presents the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of GLP-1 RAs versus placebo, in patients with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide and liraglutide demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular events, with similar rates on cardiovascular mortality. Ongoing trials assess the cardiovascular benefits and side effects of dulaglutide treatment. Exenatide and liraglutide demonstrated the decrease of blood pressure values, weight reduction and improvement of dyslipidemia. Liraglutide induced, both in vivo and in vitro, an improvement of blood circulation, increasing the nitric oxide level and inhibiting the adhesion and procoagulant factors. Also, liraglutide demonstrated beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction, but more large trials are required. However, the international guidelines recommend using GLP-1 RAs as first-line therapy in type 2 diabetes patients with high cardiovascular risk or as first-line agents in patients intolerant to metformin.
RESUMO
Patients with cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) represent a real challenge in clinical practice. Patients with cancer have a greater risk both of VTE and bleeding. There are only a few studies regarding the therapeutic approach of VTE in patients with cancer, especially after cancer surgery, and on thromboprophylaxis during chemotherapy. Many of the anticoagulation therapy recommendations for cancer patients are extrapolated from trials that are not conducted in cancer cohorts. It is essential to assess the efficacy and safety of VTE prophylaxis in this particular subgroup, which bears higher risks both of VTE recurrence and major hemorrhagic events. The introduction of direct oral anticoagulants in everyday practice represented a major evolution of the anticoagulant treatment. Direct anticoagulants could represent a more appealing alternative to low-molecular-weight heparin in paraneoplastic venous thrombosis, due to the patient comfort, easy administration of the drug and emerging studies that prove similar efficacy and safety as the standard treatment. However, there is limited data on the treatment with direct oral anticoagulants in patients with paraneoplastic venous thromboembolism.
