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GLP-1 Drugs Tied to Lower CRC Risk and Better Outcomes
The GLP-1 drugs widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss might also help reduce the risk for colorectal cancer and possibly improve outcomes in people who have the disease, according to a series of studies presented at ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2026.
In one study, researchers observed a 36% lower risk for colorectal cancer among people who used GLP-1 receptor agonists vs those who used aspirin — a drug long investigated for colorectal cancer primary prevention.
While aspirin has shown “modest efficacy” in that regard, it also carries a bleeding risk that limits its use, Colton Jones, MD, a hematology and oncology fellow with The University of Texas San Antonio, told conference attendees.
Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1s possess anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties, while some recent observational studies have linked the medications to reduced risks for certain cancers, particularly obesity-related types.
However, Jones said, research into a possible role for GLP-1s in cancer risk reduction is still in the early stages.
Prevention Potential
To conduct a “real-world” analysis, Jones and his colleagues turned to the TriNetX database, which contains electronic health records from about 150 million patients at more than 100 US healthcare organizations.
The researchers created two propensity score-matched cohorts of GLP-1 users and aspirin users, with 140,828 patients (average age, 58 years) in each. None had a history of colorectal cancer, and none were using anti-inflammatory medications other than aspirin or glucose-lowering drugs other than a GLP-1.
During a median follow-up of 5-6 years, GLP-1 use was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer incidence compared with aspirin use (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64). The findings were similar among people considered to be at an increased colorectal cancer risk due to health or family history: In that group, GLP-1 users had a roughly 42% lower risk of the disease (HR, 0.58).
Overall, the risk reduction with GLP-1 use was seen regardless of obesity or diabetes status, but the association was strongest among people who began treatment before age 45.
When the researchers examined individual GLP-1 medications, only semaglutide (Ozempic), liraglutide (Saxenda/Victoza), and dulaglutide (Trulicity) were associated with significant risk reductions.
As for safety outcomes, aspirin users had slightly higher rates of gastrointestinal bleeding and gastric ulcers and were more likely to suffer acute kidney injury (2.8% vs 1.15% among GLP-1 users; HR, 0.37). GLP-1 users experienced more diarrhea (6.8% vs 5.4%) and abdominal pain (19% vs 16.3%) than aspirin users did.
Jones said that both the risk reduction and safety profile associated with GLP-1s “underscore a potential public health impact” and warrant prospective validation.
Study discussant Joel Saltzman, MD, an ASCO gastrointestinal cancer expert, called the findings “thought-provoking.”
Broadly, he said, the study raises important questions about how metabolic disease, obesity, and cancer risk are interconnected — and how prevention strategies might evolve as more data emerge.
“It will certainly be interesting over the upcoming years to see how [GLP-1s] fit into colorectal cancer prevention,” said Saltzman, of Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland.
Improved CRC Outcomes?
Looking beyond prevention, Jones and his colleagues conducted a separate analysis of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, to see whether GLP-1 therapy was associated with outcomes.
In that analysis, also using the TriNetX database, they matched 5170 patients with colorectal cancer who were on GLP-1 therapy with the same number of patients who were not on a GLP-1 medication.
Over 10 years, GLP-1 use was associated with a 53% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with nonuse (HR, 0.47), corresponding to an absolute risk reduction of 5.6% and a number needed to treat of 18.
The survival benefit was consistent across age, diabetes status, BMI, cancer stage, and treatment subgroups. GLP-1 use was not associated with a statistically significant change in the risk for metastases (HR, 0.895).
Meanwhile, another study presented at the meeting, by researchers at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, yielded similar findings.
Researchers led by Yajur Arya, MD, focused specifically on patients with colon cancer and comorbid obesity comparing outcomes in nearly 2000 patients taking a GLP-1 with more than 16,000 matched patients who were not on a GLP-1 agent.
Over 5 years of follow-up, GLP-1 users had a lower risk for overall mortality (HR, 0.46). They also showed decreased risks for myocardial infarction (HR, 0.83), sepsis (risk difference, -3.48%), and need for mechanical ventilation (HR, 0.49).
Both Jones and Arya stressed, however, that the findings only serve to highlight possible benefits of GLP-1 use beyond diabetes and weight management. Prospective studies, they said, are needed to better understand why these associations exist, and to potentially guide practice in the future.
None of the studies had commercial funding. Jones, Arya, and Saltzman had no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
The GLP-1 drugs widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss might also help reduce the risk for colorectal cancer and possibly improve outcomes in people who have the disease, according to a series of studies presented at ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2026.
In one study, researchers observed a 36% lower risk for colorectal cancer among people who used GLP-1 receptor agonists vs those who used aspirin — a drug long investigated for colorectal cancer primary prevention.
While aspirin has shown “modest efficacy” in that regard, it also carries a bleeding risk that limits its use, Colton Jones, MD, a hematology and oncology fellow with The University of Texas San Antonio, told conference attendees.
Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1s possess anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties, while some recent observational studies have linked the medications to reduced risks for certain cancers, particularly obesity-related types.
However, Jones said, research into a possible role for GLP-1s in cancer risk reduction is still in the early stages.
Prevention Potential
To conduct a “real-world” analysis, Jones and his colleagues turned to the TriNetX database, which contains electronic health records from about 150 million patients at more than 100 US healthcare organizations.
The researchers created two propensity score-matched cohorts of GLP-1 users and aspirin users, with 140,828 patients (average age, 58 years) in each. None had a history of colorectal cancer, and none were using anti-inflammatory medications other than aspirin or glucose-lowering drugs other than a GLP-1.
During a median follow-up of 5-6 years, GLP-1 use was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer incidence compared with aspirin use (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64). The findings were similar among people considered to be at an increased colorectal cancer risk due to health or family history: In that group, GLP-1 users had a roughly 42% lower risk of the disease (HR, 0.58).
Overall, the risk reduction with GLP-1 use was seen regardless of obesity or diabetes status, but the association was strongest among people who began treatment before age 45.
When the researchers examined individual GLP-1 medications, only semaglutide (Ozempic), liraglutide (Saxenda/Victoza), and dulaglutide (Trulicity) were associated with significant risk reductions.
As for safety outcomes, aspirin users had slightly higher rates of gastrointestinal bleeding and gastric ulcers and were more likely to suffer acute kidney injury (2.8% vs 1.15% among GLP-1 users; HR, 0.37). GLP-1 users experienced more diarrhea (6.8% vs 5.4%) and abdominal pain (19% vs 16.3%) than aspirin users did.
Jones said that both the risk reduction and safety profile associated with GLP-1s “underscore a potential public health impact” and warrant prospective validation.
Study discussant Joel Saltzman, MD, an ASCO gastrointestinal cancer expert, called the findings “thought-provoking.”
Broadly, he said, the study raises important questions about how metabolic disease, obesity, and cancer risk are interconnected — and how prevention strategies might evolve as more data emerge.
“It will certainly be interesting over the upcoming years to see how [GLP-1s] fit into colorectal cancer prevention,” said Saltzman, of Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland.
Improved CRC Outcomes?
Looking beyond prevention, Jones and his colleagues conducted a separate analysis of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, to see whether GLP-1 therapy was associated with outcomes.
In that analysis, also using the TriNetX database, they matched 5170 patients with colorectal cancer who were on GLP-1 therapy with the same number of patients who were not on a GLP-1 medication.
Over 10 years, GLP-1 use was associated with a 53% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with nonuse (HR, 0.47), corresponding to an absolute risk reduction of 5.6% and a number needed to treat of 18.
The survival benefit was consistent across age, diabetes status, BMI, cancer stage, and treatment subgroups. GLP-1 use was not associated with a statistically significant change in the risk for metastases (HR, 0.895).
Meanwhile, another study presented at the meeting, by researchers at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, yielded similar findings.
Researchers led by Yajur Arya, MD, focused specifically on patients with colon cancer and comorbid obesity comparing outcomes in nearly 2000 patients taking a GLP-1 with more than 16,000 matched patients who were not on a GLP-1 agent.
Over 5 years of follow-up, GLP-1 users had a lower risk for overall mortality (HR, 0.46). They also showed decreased risks for myocardial infarction (HR, 0.83), sepsis (risk difference, -3.48%), and need for mechanical ventilation (HR, 0.49).
Both Jones and Arya stressed, however, that the findings only serve to highlight possible benefits of GLP-1 use beyond diabetes and weight management. Prospective studies, they said, are needed to better understand why these associations exist, and to potentially guide practice in the future.
None of the studies had commercial funding. Jones, Arya, and Saltzman had no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
The GLP-1 drugs widely prescribed for diabetes and weight loss might also help reduce the risk for colorectal cancer and possibly improve outcomes in people who have the disease, according to a series of studies presented at ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2026.
In one study, researchers observed a 36% lower risk for colorectal cancer among people who used GLP-1 receptor agonists vs those who used aspirin — a drug long investigated for colorectal cancer primary prevention.
While aspirin has shown “modest efficacy” in that regard, it also carries a bleeding risk that limits its use, Colton Jones, MD, a hematology and oncology fellow with The University of Texas San Antonio, told conference attendees.
Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1s possess anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties, while some recent observational studies have linked the medications to reduced risks for certain cancers, particularly obesity-related types.
However, Jones said, research into a possible role for GLP-1s in cancer risk reduction is still in the early stages.
Prevention Potential
To conduct a “real-world” analysis, Jones and his colleagues turned to the TriNetX database, which contains electronic health records from about 150 million patients at more than 100 US healthcare organizations.
The researchers created two propensity score-matched cohorts of GLP-1 users and aspirin users, with 140,828 patients (average age, 58 years) in each. None had a history of colorectal cancer, and none were using anti-inflammatory medications other than aspirin or glucose-lowering drugs other than a GLP-1.
During a median follow-up of 5-6 years, GLP-1 use was significantly associated with reduced colorectal cancer incidence compared with aspirin use (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64). The findings were similar among people considered to be at an increased colorectal cancer risk due to health or family history: In that group, GLP-1 users had a roughly 42% lower risk of the disease (HR, 0.58).
Overall, the risk reduction with GLP-1 use was seen regardless of obesity or diabetes status, but the association was strongest among people who began treatment before age 45.
When the researchers examined individual GLP-1 medications, only semaglutide (Ozempic), liraglutide (Saxenda/Victoza), and dulaglutide (Trulicity) were associated with significant risk reductions.
As for safety outcomes, aspirin users had slightly higher rates of gastrointestinal bleeding and gastric ulcers and were more likely to suffer acute kidney injury (2.8% vs 1.15% among GLP-1 users; HR, 0.37). GLP-1 users experienced more diarrhea (6.8% vs 5.4%) and abdominal pain (19% vs 16.3%) than aspirin users did.
Jones said that both the risk reduction and safety profile associated with GLP-1s “underscore a potential public health impact” and warrant prospective validation.
Study discussant Joel Saltzman, MD, an ASCO gastrointestinal cancer expert, called the findings “thought-provoking.”
Broadly, he said, the study raises important questions about how metabolic disease, obesity, and cancer risk are interconnected — and how prevention strategies might evolve as more data emerge.
“It will certainly be interesting over the upcoming years to see how [GLP-1s] fit into colorectal cancer prevention,” said Saltzman, of Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland.
Improved CRC Outcomes?
Looking beyond prevention, Jones and his colleagues conducted a separate analysis of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer, to see whether GLP-1 therapy was associated with outcomes.
In that analysis, also using the TriNetX database, they matched 5170 patients with colorectal cancer who were on GLP-1 therapy with the same number of patients who were not on a GLP-1 medication.
Over 10 years, GLP-1 use was associated with a 53% reduction in all-cause mortality compared with nonuse (HR, 0.47), corresponding to an absolute risk reduction of 5.6% and a number needed to treat of 18.
The survival benefit was consistent across age, diabetes status, BMI, cancer stage, and treatment subgroups. GLP-1 use was not associated with a statistically significant change in the risk for metastases (HR, 0.895).
Meanwhile, another study presented at the meeting, by researchers at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, yielded similar findings.
Researchers led by Yajur Arya, MD, focused specifically on patients with colon cancer and comorbid obesity comparing outcomes in nearly 2000 patients taking a GLP-1 with more than 16,000 matched patients who were not on a GLP-1 agent.
Over 5 years of follow-up, GLP-1 users had a lower risk for overall mortality (HR, 0.46). They also showed decreased risks for myocardial infarction (HR, 0.83), sepsis (risk difference, -3.48%), and need for mechanical ventilation (HR, 0.49).
Both Jones and Arya stressed, however, that the findings only serve to highlight possible benefits of GLP-1 use beyond diabetes and weight management. Prospective studies, they said, are needed to better understand why these associations exist, and to potentially guide practice in the future.
None of the studies had commercial funding. Jones, Arya, and Saltzman had no relevant disclosures.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
GLP-1 Drugs Tied to Lower CRC Risk and Better Outcomes
GLP-1 Drugs Tied to Lower CRC Risk and Better Outcomes