Researchers are increasingly exploring other uses for GLP-1s beyond their established roles in obesity and diabetes management. A new study presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting suggests these popular injectable medications may also influence cancer progression, with investigators reporting lower rates of metastatic disease among patients taking GLP-1 therapies after a cancer diagnosis.
Nearly one in five people with cancer also has diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes and obesity cause metabolic dysfunction, including elevated blood sugar, elevated insulin levels, and chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation. Unfortunately, this creates an ideal environment for cancer cells to grow and spread.
While GLP-1 drugs are well known for controlling blood sugar and reducing appetite, they also have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Researchers wanted to see if these properties could actively protect patients who already have an early-stage cancer diagnosis.
“GLP-1 receptor agonists have never been just glucose-lowering drugs. Their anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties have long suggested broader effects. What’s new here is the consistency across tumor types, and data this large and this consistent warrant a prospective randomized trial,” said Marcin Chwistek, MD, FAAHPM, Chief of Supportive Oncology and Palliative Care Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center and an ASCO Expert in supportive care.
The study tracked patients who initiated one of the following GLP-1 receptor agonists (or the amylin analog pramlintide, which was grouped in the exposure arm) after their cancer diagnosis:
Note: These patients were compared 1:1 against a highly similar control group taking DPP-4 inhibitors (gliptins), such as sitagliptin (Januvia) or linagliptin (Tradjenta).
Researchers looked at the global health records of more than 12,000 people diagnosed with Stage I, II, or III cancers, a cohort that included 20 to 25 percent who were Black or African American. Half of these patients started a GLP-1 drug after their cancer diagnosis, while the other half took an older class of diabetes medication called a DPP-4 inhibitor (gliptin).
The goal was to see which group was less likely to progress to Stage IV (metastatic) cancer, which means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
For four major types of cancer, patients taking GLP-1 drugs saw a massive drop in the risk of their cancer spreading:
The study also looked at prostate, pancreatic, and kidney cancers. While fewer patients on GLP-1s saw their cancer spread in these groups too, the numbers weren’t large enough for scientists to be absolutely certain the drug was the cause.
Yes, according to this data. A common concern with GLP-1 drugs is stomach or pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis). However, this study found that patients taking GLP-1s did not experience any higher rates of these side effects than patients taking other diabetes medications, even while undergoing cancer treatment.
Although these findings don’t establish a causal relationship between GLP-1s and reduced metastatic progression, they add to growing evidence suggesting metabolic pathways may influence cancer outcomes.
In this large study, GLP-1 use after cancer diagnosis was associated with lower rates of progression to stage IV disease in patients with lung, breast, colorectal, and liver cancers.
For oncology clinicians, this study raises several important considerations:
At this time, the data are hypothesis-generating and shouldn’t alter any standard treatment protocols outside established indications for diabetes and obesity management.
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