Pharmacological researchSep 9, 2024

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor drugs and risk of digestive system cancers: A review and combined analysis of clinical trials

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

Analysis of 90 randomized controlled trials involving 124,791 participants found no significant association between GLP-1 receptor agonists and gastrointestinal cancer risk.

The pooled risk ratio for gastrointestinal cancer with GLP-1 receptor agonists was 0.99, indicating no significant risk increase.
Site-specific gastrointestinal cancers also showed no significant associations, including colorectal (RR=1.13) and gastric cancer (RR=0.88).
The follow-up period averaged 3.1 years per participant, with some analyses extending to trials with ≥5 years of follow-up.
Risk of bias in the studies was generally low, contributing to a high certainty of evidence for the findings.
The analysis suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists do not have an important impact on gastrointestinal cancer risk.

Simplified

BACKGROUND: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are commonly used for glucose lowering and weight-loss. However, their association with gastrointestinal cancer remains uncertain. This meta-analysis assesses the risk of gastrointestinal cancer in patients treated with GLP-1 RAs.

METHODS: We searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases from inception to November 15, 2023, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least 24 weeks of safety follow-up. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using fixed- and random-effect models. Risk of bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and certainty of evidence was determined using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework.

RESULTS: We included 90 RCTs with 124,791 participants, with an average follow-up of 3.1 years per participant. No significant association was found between GLP-1 RAs and the risk of any gastrointestinal cancer (RR=0.99, 95 % CI: 0.86-1.13), or site-specific gastrointestinal cancers including biliary tract (RR=0.98, 0.54-1.78), colorectal (RR=1.13, 0.92-1.39), gallbladder (RR=1.32, 0.43-4.00), gastric (RR=0.88, 0.58-1.33), hepatic (RR=0.79, 0.51-1.21), oesophageal (RR=0.70, 0.38-1.28), pancreatic (RR=1.05, 0.77-1.43), and small intestine cancer (RR=0.78, 0.20-3.04). The corresponding absolute risk differences excluded important impacts on risk. Additional analyses, limited to placebo-controlled trials, high-dose studies, or those with a follow-up duration of ≥5 years, confirmed these findings. Risk of bias was generally low and the certainty of evidence was high for all outcomes. random

CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis found no significant impact of GLP-1 RAs on gastrointestinal cancer risk. Long-term safety monitoring of these agents remains important.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: CRD42023476762.

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Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor drugs and risk of digestive system cancers: A review and combined analysis of clinical trials

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