BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and chemotherapy, including antibody-drug conjugates, are widely used for the treatment of patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). The majority of elderly patients receive concomitant medications to address various comorbidities. We aimed to evaluate the impact of concomitant medications on oncological outcomes in patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic UC treated with systemic therapy. MATERIAL & METHODS: In August 2024, three datasets were queried for studies evaluating concomitant medications in patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic UC. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024547335). The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). A fixed- or random-effects model was used for meta-analysis depending on the heterogeneity. RESULTS: We identified 16 eligible studies (3 prospective and 13 retrospective) comprising 4,816 patients. Most reported concomitant medications included proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), antibiotics, steroids, and opioids. The use of concomitant PPIs, antibiotics, steroids or opioids during ICI therapy was associated with worsened OS (PPIs: HR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.31-1.57, p < 0.001; antibiotics: HR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.04-1.38, p = 0.01; steroids: HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.25-1.67, p < 0.001; and opioids: HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.46-2.07, p < 0.001). Concomitant use of antibiotics during chemotherapy did not impact OS (HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.67-1.51). CONCLUSIONS: When treating advanced unresectable or metastatic UC with ICI therapy, we need to pay attention to concomitant medications, such as PPIs and antibiotics to avoid reducing the efficacy of ICI therapy. The mechanism of action of these drugs on ICI efficacy requires further examination.

2nd Department of Urology Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education Warsaw Poland

Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit University of Montreal Health Centre Montreal QC Canada

Collegium Medicum Faculty of Medicine WSB University Dąbrowa Górnicza Poland

Department of Urology 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czechia Czechia

Department of Urology Comprehensive Cancer Center Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Urology Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine Okayama Japan

Department of Urology Jikei University School of Medicine Tokyo Japan

Department of Urology Medical College Jagiellonian University Krakow Poland

Department of Urology Semmelweis University Budapest Hungary

Department of Urology Shariati Hospital Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran

Department of Urology Shimane University Faculty of Medicine Shimane Japan

Department of Urology University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf Hamburg Germany

Department of Urology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX USA

Department of Urology Weill Cornell Medical College New York NY USA

Division of Urology Department of Special Surgery The University of Jordan Amman Jordan

Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health Sechenov University Moscow Russia

Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology Vienna Austria

Research Center for Evidence Medicine Urology Department Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Tabriz Iran

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