SouthernWorldwide.com – New research suggests that popular weight-loss drugs, similar to Ozempic, may play a role in significantly slowing the spread of certain types of cancer.
The study, conducted by researchers at Cleveland Clinic, indicates that these glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications could potentially reduce the progression of several cancers linked to obesity, including lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancers.
These significant findings are slated to be presented at the upcoming 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The retrospective study, which analyzed real-world data, involved 12,112 patients diagnosed with obesity-related cancers, ranging from stage 1 to stage 3.
A notable portion of these patients, approximately half, began using GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide, tirzepatide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, or pramlintide after their cancer diagnosis.
The other half of the patient group was given a DPP-4 inhibitor, commonly known as “gliptins,” which is another class of diabetes medications, for comparison.
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When compared to patients who took gliptins, those using GLP-1 medications showed a statistically significant reduction in the progression to stage 4 disease across four specific types of cancer.
The most substantial risk reduction was observed in non-small cell lung cancer, with a 50% decrease. This was followed by breast cancer at 43%, colorectal cancer at 31%, and liver cancer at 38%.
“Our study found that use of GLP-1 drugs, compared to DPP-4 inhibitors and other antidiabetic drugs, was associated with a meaningful reduction in cancer progression across four solid tumor types,” stated lead study author Dr. Mark David Orland from the Taussig Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic. “It provides early evidence that future studies are worth pursuing.”
While not reaching statistical significance, three other cancer types – prostate, pancreatic, and kidney – also exhibited lower rates of spread among patients taking GLP-1s.
Furthermore, tumors that displayed higher levels of GLP-1 receptors, which are proteins that enable cells to respond to GLP-1 hormones and drugs, were associated with improved survival outcomes.
Patients whose tumors possessed more of these receptors were approximately one-third less likely to die during the study period.
The incidence of adverse side effects was found to be comparable between the groups taking GLP-1 medications and those taking gliptins.
These results suggest that the GLP-1 pathways might directly influence the growth and spread of certain cancers. However, the researchers emphasize that more extensive studies are necessary to fully elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
The study, which has not yet undergone peer review, has certain limitations. Being a retrospective and observational study, rather than a randomized clinical trial, it cannot definitively prove that GLP-1 drugs directly prevent cancer progression.
Researchers also noted that other factors, such as participants’ pre-existing health conditions, the extent of weight loss achieved, and metabolic improvements, could have influenced the observed results.
For certain specific cancer types, the number of patients included in the study may have been insufficient to detect statistically significant differences.
Therefore, further randomized clinical trials are essential to validate these preliminary findings and to precisely determine how GLP-1 medications influence cancer progression.
