Labels for GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, might see more approved uses as researchers study the drugs' effects on sleep apnea, dementia and other health issues. Meanwhile, oncologists are looking at a GLP-1 role in cancer care.
Several studies have shown the therapies — currently approved for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss — can diminish the risk of multiple cancers:
- Compared with Type 2 diabetes patients taking insulin, those who took the medications were less likely to develop 10 of 13 obesity-related cancers, one study found.
- In another study of Type 2 diabetes patients, GLP-1 users sawa decreased risk of colorectal cancer than those who took insulin, metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas and thiazolidinediones.
- Both bariatric surgery and GLP-1 use reduced the risk of obesity-related cancers in a retrospective analysis, according to data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists meeting in June. Post-surgery, the risk declined 22%; with GLP-1s, the risk fell 39%.
The results are promising, but oncologists will need to see more research before they change their practices. For example, Sara Jo Grethlein, MD, executive director of the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, has questions about the study on 13 obesity-related cancers.
"It's not clear if the reduction in cancer risk is due to the drugs themselves or the weight loss they cause," Dr. Grethlein told Becker's. "Even though surgery leads to more weight loss than GLP-1 drugs, the drugs had a bigger reduction in cancer risk and all-cause mortality. This raises intriguing questions about how much of the benefit is due to weight loss versus something inherent to the drugs themselves."
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