You have probably heard about GLP-1 medications. Brand names like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro show up on social media, TV commercials, and in everyday conversations. These drugs work by mimicking a natural hormone in your body that regulates blood sugar and appetite. They were first made to treat diabetes, but they are now also approved to help people manage their weight.
Researchers are still learning a lot about how these drugs affect the body over time. One exciting area of research is the possible connection between GLP-1 medications and obesity-related cancer. This topic was a focus of a recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), one of the most important cancer research conferences in the world.
Early studies suggest that GLP-1 medications may help slow the progression of some cancers. More specifically, they may lower the chance that a cancer in the early stages (stage I, II, or III) will grow into the most serious and hardest-to-treat stage, stage IV.
It is important to remember that this research is still in its early stages. Researchers need to do more studies before we can say for sure how GLP-1 medications affect cancer.
What Is Obesity-Related Cancer?
Carrying extra body weight does more than affect your heart and joints; it can also raise your risk of getting certain types of cancer. These are called obesity-related cancers because research has found a link between living with obesity and a higher chance of developing them.
Obesity-related cancers include:
- Endometrial (uterine) cancer
- Esophageal cancer (cancer of the tube that carries food to your stomach)
- Upper stomach cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer)
- Meningioma (a type of brain tumor)
- Pancreatic cancer
- Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum)
- Gallbladder cancer
- Breast cancer (especially after menopause)
- Ovarian cancer
- Thyroid cancer
What Did the Research Find?
One study presented at the ASCO meeting looked at people who had lung, breast, colorectal (colon and rectum), or liver cancer at stage I, II, or III. All of the people in the study had diabetes and were taking medicine to manage it. Some were taking a GLP-1 medication, and others were taking a different type of diabetes drug called gliptins.
Researchers compared the two groups to find out if the type of diabetes drug a person took made a difference in how their cancer progressed. The results showed that people who were taking GLP-1 medications were 38% to 50% less likely to have their cancer advance to stage IV compared to those who were taking gliptins.
Why Do Diabetes and Unhealthy Weight Make Cancer More Risky?
Nearly 1 in 5 people living with cancer also have diabetes. This matters because diabetes changes the environment inside your body in ways that can help cancer grow. It raises blood sugar levels and the hormone insulin. It also causes something called chronic inflammation.
Think of chronic inflammation like an alarm that never stops going off. Your body is in a constant state of alert, and over time, that “alarm state” can create the right conditions for cancer cells to grow and spread.
GLP-1 medications help reduce inflammation and improve blood sugar control. This may make the body a less friendly place for cancer to grow, which could be one reason researchers are seeing these promising results.
What This Means for You
These findings are exciting, but it is important to keep a few things in mind:
- Researchers examined data from people already taking these medications. They did not randomly assign people to take or not take GLP-1s, so we cannot say for certain that the medication caused the lower cancer risk.
- More research, including clinical trials, is needed before doctors can make specific recommendations about using GLP-1s to prevent or treat cancer.
- You should not start or stop a GLP-1 medication based on this research alone.
If you are managing obesity or diabetes along with a cancer diagnosis, talk to your cancer doctor (oncologist) and your primary care provider about whether a GLP-1 medication might be right for you.
Resources
GLP-1s May Reduce Metastatic Progression of Certain Obesity-Related Cancers
Obesity and Cancer- National Cancer Institute
I Have Diabetes and Cancer. What Can I Eat?- CDC
Know the Diabetes-Cancer Link- American Diabetes Association
Weight & Metabolic Health Screening- OHOW