Cardio-oncology (London, England)Sep 26, 2025

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in patients with anthracycline related cardiac dysfunction

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

GLP-1 receptor agonist use was linked to fewer hospitalizations, acute heart failure events, and acute renal failure episodes in anthracycline-related cardiac dysfunction.

Evidence

This propensity-matched retrospective TriNetX cohort compared 201 GLP-1RA-treated adult cancer patients with anthracycline-induced CTRCD against 201 non-treated controls over 295.4 ± 109.6 days.

Caveat

The observational design cannot prove causality, and mortality, atrial fibrillation, and cardiac arrest did not significantly differ between groups.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is recognized complication of antineoplastic therapies, and is particularly associated with anthracyclines. Treatment revolves around heart failure management, with limited evidence for other medications. Specifically, the aim of this study is to evaluate the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) in patients with CTRCD.

METHODS: All adult cancer patients with a diagnosis of anthracycline induced CTRCD between 2012 and 2022 were retrieved from the TriNetX Research Network. Baseline characteristics, oncology data, and laboratory parameters were also abstracted. Patients were grouped based on administration of GLP-1RAs, with the development of a propensity matched non-GLP-1RA treatment cohort. Clinical outcomes were compared between the cohorts including all-cause mortality, all cause hospitalizations, acute heart failure events, acute renal failure, new atrial fibrillation, and cardiac arrest.

RESULTS: Overall, 2282 cancer patients with CTRCD were identified. Following propensity matching, a control cohort of 201 patients who did not receive GLP-1RAs were compared to 201 patients receiving GLP-1RAs. Over a mean follow-up of 295.4 ± 109.6 days, patients receiving GLP-1RAs treatment had significantly lower risk of all-cause hospitalization (HR 0.617, 95% CI 0.474-0.803, p < 0.001), acute heart failure events (HR 0.612, 95% CI 0.428-0.875, p = 0.007), and acute renal failure (HR 0.577, 95% CI 0.408-0.815, p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in the risk of all-cause mortality, atrial fibrillation, or cardiac arrest.

CONCLUSION: In cancer patients with anthracycline induced CTRCD, those treated with GLP-1RAs had significantly lower risk of adverse clinical outcomes.

Key numbers

0.617

Decrease in All-Cause Hospitalization

Hazard Ratio for hospitalization in cohort vs. non-treated cohort

0.612

Decrease in Acute Heart Failure Events

Hazard Ratio for acute heart failure in cohort vs. non-treated cohort

0.577

Decrease in Acute Renal Failure

Hazard Ratio for renal failure in cohort vs. non-treated cohort

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Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in patients with anthracycline related cardiac dysfunction

Abstract

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