GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, a new study suggests. People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of 13 types of cancer, and the risk increases the more overweight a person is and the more weight they gain. About 40% of new cancer diagnoses are associated with excess weight, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, there were about 170 new diagnoses per 100,000 people, according to CDC data. But a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open found that people with type 2 diabetes who were treated with a class of GLP-1 drugs were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with 10 of the 13 cancers associated with obesity than those who took insulin. The risk was cut by more than half for gallbladder cancer, meningioma, pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. The risk of ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, esophageal cancer, endometrial cancer and kidney cancer was also significantly reduced. Being overweight can cause changes in the body such as long-lasting inflammation and higher-than-normal levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor and sex hormones that can lead to cancer, according to the CDC. And GLP-1 drugs interact with systems related to insulin production. The new findings linking GLP-1 therapy to a reduced risk of certain cancers “compare favorably” to similar effects linked to intensive lifestyle intervention and metabolic-bariatric surgery that have been found in other trials, the study authors wrote. However, the research found that GLP-1 therapy was not associated with a reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, which, according to CDC data, is the most common type of cancer associated with obesity. Nor was the risk reduced for stomach cancer or thyroid cancer. In fact, other research has shown that GLP-1s can interact with the body’s insulin production in ways that negatively affect the thyroid, and the study authors emphasize that patients should be aware of the potential thyroid-related risks that are included on the drug’s packaging. The new study also found that the risk of cancer diagnosis for people with type 2 diabetes was no different in those treated with GLP-1s compared with those treated with metformin. In fact, the risk of kidney cancer diagnosis was higher in people using GLP-1s than in those taking metformin. For the study, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the MetroHealth System analyzed more than a decade of medical records from nearly 1.7 million people with type 2 diabetes. More information is needed on how the reduction in cancer risk may be related to the extent of weight loss, but the findings provide “preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of GLP-1RAs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations and support further preclinical and clinical studies,” the study authors wrote.
GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, a new study suggests.
People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing 13 types of cancer, and the risk increases with the duration of overweight and the weight gain. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 40% of new cancer diagnoses are associated with excess weight. In 2021, there were about 170 new diagnoses per 100,000 people, according to CDC data.
But a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open found that people with type 2 diabetes who were treated with a class of GLP-1 drugs were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with 10 of 13 obesity-related cancers than those who took insulin.
The risk was reduced by more than half for gallbladder cancer, meningioma, pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer. It was also significantly reduced for ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer, multiple myeloma, esophageal cancer, endometrial cancer and kidney cancer.
According to the CDC, being overweight can cause changes in the body, such as long-term inflammation and higher-than-normal levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor, and sex hormones, that can lead to cancer. Additionally, GLP-1 drugs interact with systems related to insulin production.
The new findings linking GLP-1 treatment to a reduced risk of certain cancers “compare favorably” to similar effects of intensive lifestyle intervention and metabolic-bariatric surgery that have been found in other trials, the study authors wrote.
However, research found that GLP-1 treatment was not associated with a reduced risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, which, according to CDC data, is the most common type of cancer associated with obesity.
The risk of stomach cancer or thyroid cancer was also not reduced. In fact, other research has shown that GLP-1s can interact with the body’s insulin production in ways that negatively affect the thyroid. The study authors stress that patients should be aware of the potential thyroid risks that are listed on the drug’s packaging.
The new study also found that the risk of cancer diagnosis in people with type 2 diabetes was no different in those treated with GLP-1 compared to those treated with metformin. In fact, the risk of kidney cancer diagnosis was higher in people using GLP-1 than in those taking metformin.
For the study, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the MetroHealth System analyzed more than a decade of medical records from nearly 1.7 million people with type 2 diabetes.
More information is needed on how the reduction in cancer risk may be related to the extent of weight loss, but the results provide “preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of GLP-1RAs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations and support further preclinical and clinical studies,” the study authors wrote.