In a retrospective study reported in JAMA Oncology, Dai et al found that use of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for weight loss in adults with overweight/obesity was associated with an overall reduction in risk of cancer.
As stated by the investigators, “…GLP-1 RAs… are widely prescribed for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and have recently gained popularity for weight management. However, their long-term impact on cancer risk remains uncertain.”
Study Details
Study investigators used 2014 to 2024 electronic health record data from OneFlorida+, a multicenter health research network including real-world clinical data from diverse health-care settings. Adults with obesity or overweight and no prior history of cancer who used vs did not use GLP-1 RAs as anti-obesity medication were propensity score–matched and compared for incidence of 14 cancers (including 13 obesity-related cancers and lung cancer).
Key Findings
The study included 86,632 matched adults, comprising 43,317 GLP-1 RA users and 43,315 nonusers.
Significantly reduced risk for all 14 cancers combined was observed for GLP-1 RA users vs nonusers (13.6 vs 16.4 per 1,000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76–0.91). Among individual cancers, GLP-1 RA users had significantly reduced risk for endometrial cancer (HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.57–0.99), ovarian cancer (HR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.29–0.96), and meningioma (HR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.48–0.97). Hazard ratios nonsignificantly benefited GLP-1 RA users for colorectal cancer (0.88, 95% CI = 0.64–1.22), thyroid cancer (0.77, 95% CI = 0.54–1.11), prostate cancer (0.91, 95% CI = 0.73–1.15), breast cancer (0.86, 95% CI = 0.71–1.03), lung cancer (0.76, 95% CI = 0.55–1.04), pancreatic cancer (0.84, 95% CI = 0.54–1.30), liver cancer (0.91, 95% CI = 0.60–1.38), multiple myeloma (0.79, 95% CI = 0.46–1.35), bladder cancer (0.97, 95% CI = 0.63–1.50), and upper gastrointestinal cancer (0.60, 95% CI = 0.29–1.24). A nonsignificantly increased risk of kidney cancer was observed with GLP-1 RA use (HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.99–1.93).
The investigators concluded: “This retrospective cohort study found that taking GLP-1 RAs was associated with a reduced overall risk of cancer, including lower risks of endometrial, ovarian, and meningioma cancers, among patients with obesity or overweight. However, taking GLP-1 RAs may be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, highlighting the need for longer-term follow-up to clarify the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications of these findings.”
Jiang Bian, PhD, of Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University, Indianapolis, is the corresponding author for the JAMA Oncology article.
Disclosure: The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. For full disclosures of all study authors, visit jamanetwork.com.
