GLP-1 Drugs Show Potential Anti-Cancer Effects, Review Article Finds

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OKLAHOMA CITY – The success of GLP-1 medications for treating Type 2 diabetes and obesity naturally leads to a related question: Do GLP-1 drugs affect cancer risk, which is often associated with obesity and Type 2 diabetes?

University of Oklahoma researcher Elizabeth Wellberg, Ph.D., is the senior author of a review article in The Journal of Clinical Investigation that gathers current research evidence about the effects of GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Zepbound, on cancer risk. The data suggest that GLP-1s do not increase the risk of cancer and may even reduce the risk of several types of cancer, particularly in people with obesity or Type 2 diabetes. Researchers reviewed clinical studies as well as laboratory and animal research.

“In our analysis of clinical studies, we found evidence that people using GLP-1 drugs do not experience higher overall cancer rates compared with non-users. Some studies even reported lower incidence of cancer, including colorectal, liver, prostate and endometrial cancers,” said Wellberg, an assistant professor in the OU College of Medicine and research member of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. “However, these studies are observational, not randomized trials, so we cannot yet interpret the findings as proof of a cancer risk reduction.”

The review also addressed the question of whether GLP-1s reduce cancer risk because they cause weight loss and improved metabolism, or because they have a direct anti-cancer effect.

“In people, we don’t have the answer to that question yet,” Wellberg said, “but in animal research models, there seems to be evidence that GLP-1s are beneficial by themselves, even in the absence of obesity.”

Some research suggests that GLP-1 drugs may affect the immune system, rather than lowering the risk for specific cancers, Wellberg said. “It may be that GLP-1s create a heightened surveillance in immune cells that makes them better at getting rid of damaged cells before they turn cancerous,” she said.

Although the findings are encouraging, Wellberg said much more research is needed to determine whether GLP-1 drugs could be used to prevent cancer or serve as part of cancer treatment strategies. Clinical trials are being developed to study GLP-1s in patients receiving ongoing cancer treatment, as well as in patients who do not have diabetes or obesity. Long-term data is also needed because widespread GLP-1 use is still relatively recent.

Wellberg is also speaking to her fellow scientists through the review article. She encourages researchers to look at what the clinical data say and carefully design their studies accordingly.

“As we look ahead, we urge our preclinical colleagues to dig deeper into how GLP-1s influence tumor biology, not only through metabolic pathways, but through their emerging effects on the immune system,” she said. “We need rigorous models that distinguish cancer risk from progression, as well as studies that carefully vary treatment timing, duration and combinations with standard therapies. Clarifying these mechanisms will be essential for translating the promise of GLP-1–based therapies into effective cancer applications.”