Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and gastrointestinal cancer risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes

Jun 5, 2025Diabetologia

Glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs and stomach and intestine cancer risk in people with type 2 diabetes

AI simplified

GLP-1 Therapies on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use is associated with a significantly lower risk of overall gastrointestinal cancer compared to other glucose-lowering medications.

Compared to insulin, GLP-1RA users had an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 0.29 for overall gastrointestinal cancer, indicating a substantial risk reduction.
GLP-1RA use showed lower risk associations with specific cancer types compared to metformin (aHR 0.84), sulfonylureas (aHR 0.71), thiazolidinediones (aHR 0.86), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (aHR 0.80), and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (aHR 0.80).
The protective effect of GLP-1RAs was most pronounced when compared to insulin therapy.
The findings suggest that GLP-1RAs may offer cancer-protective benefits in addition to their established roles in managing diabetes and weight.

AI simplified

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Although benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been demonstrated in treatment of type 2 diabetes and weight management, their potential role in cancer prevention remains inadequately explored.

METHODS: Using the TriNetX Research Network, we conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing new users of GLP-1RAs with users of other glucose-lowering medications. Propensity score matching was performed for demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, family history, lifestyle factors and cancer risk factors. The primary outcome was the incidence of obesity-related gastrointestinal cancers, and secondary outcomes were the incidence of individual cancer types.

RESULTS: Using adjusted HRs (aHRs), GLP-1RA use was found to be associated with a significantly lower risk of overall gastrointestinal cancer compared with all other glucose-lowering medications (insulin: aHR 0.29; 95% CI 0.23, 0.37; metformin: aHR 0.84; 95% CI 0.71, 0.99; sulfonylureas: aHR 0.71; 95% CI 0.62, 0.80; thiazolidinediones: aHR 0.86; 95% CI 0.74, 0.99; dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: aHR 0.80; 95% CI 0.70, 0.91; sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors: aHR 0.80; 95% CI 0.68, 0.96). The protective effect was most pronounced compared with insulin therapy, with significant risk reductions across all individual cancers.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: GLP-1RA use is associated with a reduced risk of gastrointestinal cancers in individuals with type 2 diabetes. These findings suggest potential cancer-protective benefits of GLP-1RAs beyond their established roles in glycaemic management and weight reduction.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View full text (PDF) ↗View full text (HTML) ↗

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and gastrointestinal cancer risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the glp-1 therapies brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the glp-1 therapies brief