A real-world propensity analysis of the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction

Apr 27, 2026Communications medicine

How diabetes drugs that target GLP-1 receptors may affect heart problems during cancer treatment

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Abstract

Use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists is associated with a significantly lower risk of heart damage related to cancer therapy.

Patients receiving cancer treatments who used glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists experienced a lower risk of death from any cause.
Hospital admissions and overall cardiovascular complications were reduced in individuals using these medications.
The protective effects were more pronounced in women, younger patients, those with excess body weight, and individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Benefits were noted across various cancer treatments, particularly with anthracycline chemotherapy.

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BACKGROUND: Heart damage caused by cancer treatment can lead to heart failure, hospital admission, and death. Medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes with cardioprotective potentials. Whether these medications can reduce heart damage related to cancer therapy remains uncertain. This study aims to evaluate the association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use and the risk of heart damage in patients receiving cancer treatments.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a large international real-world health records database from January 2017 to March 2025. Adult patients with cancer who received heart-damaging cancer therapies were included and grouped according to use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. Patients were carefully matched to ensure comparable baseline characteristics. Clinical outcomes over 12 months were analyzed using time-to-event statistical models, with additional subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS: Here we show that use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists is associated with a significantly lower risk of cancer therapy-related heart damage, death from any cause, hospital admission, blocked blood vessels, blood clots, and overall cardiovascular complications. The protective effects are most pronounced in women, younger patients, individuals with excess body weight, and those with type 2 diabetes. Benefits are observed across different cancer treatments and are particularly evident with anthracycline chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use is associated with reduced heart damage during cancer treatment, suggesting a potential role for these medications in protecting cardiovascular health among cancer patients, especially those with type 2 diabetes.

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A real-world propensity analysis of the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction

Abstract

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