Do GLP-1 Medications Affect Cancer Risk?

The use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications, originally developed for the management of type 2 diabetes, has surged in recent years due to the approval for expanded use for chronic weight management1. A new study looked at whether people who take GLP-1 RA-medications like semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®) used for diabetes and weight loss – have a different risk of developing cancer compared with people who don’t take them.

What the study did:

· Researchers studied the health records of over 86,000 adults with overweight or obesity between 2014 and 2024.

· Half of the group used GLP-1 medicines, and the other half did not.

· They looked at how often people developed 14 different cancers.

What they found:

· People taking GLP-1 medicines had a lower overall risk of cancer compared with those not taking them.

· Risks were especially lower for endometrial cancer (uterine lining), ovarian cancer, and meningioma (a type of brain tumor).

· For most other cancers (like colon, breast, thyroid, prostate, lung, and pancreas), GLP-1 users also had fewer cases, but the differences were not significant enough to be certain.

· GLP-1 users showed a slightly higher risk of kidney cancer, but this finding needs more study.

What this means for patients:

· GLP-1 medications may result in a lower cancer risk in addition to supporting weight loss and diabetes control.

· However, more research and longer follow-up are needed to fully understand the possible risks, especially for kidney cancer.