People with type 2 diabetes who were given a type of weight-loss drug had a much lower risk of developing 10 out of 13 obesity-related cancers compared to those who received insulin, a new study has shown.
Researchers set out to explore the potential benefits of GLP-1RAs, which includes the popular Ozempic, in the prevention of a number of obesity-associated cancers.
They looked at data from people with type 2 diabetes who received insulin between 2005 and 2018 and compared them with a type 2 diabetes group which had been given GLP-1RAs during the same period.
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The data was drawn from 1.6 million people.
The researchers found the GLP-1RAs group had a much lower risk of developing 10 cancers including kidney, pancreatic, oesophageal, ovarian, liver and colorectal cancer.
There was no change in risk in thyroid cancer and breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
The authors said: “In this study of patients with type 2 diabetes who were cancer free at baseline, taking GLP-1RAs compared with insulin was associated with a lower risk of 10 of 13 obesity-associated cancers.
“These findings provide preliminary evidence of the potential benefit of GLP-1RAs for cancer prevention in high-risk populations and support further preclinical and clinical studies for the prevention of certain obesity-associated cancers.
“Moreover, given that type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity have negative impacts on patients during cancer therapy, GLP-1RAs should be evaluated for control of these comorbid conditions during cancer therapy as well as for secondary prevention to delay cancer recurrence.”
Study author Rong Xu told the news agency AFP: “Obesity is well known to be associated with at least 13 cancer types. Our study provides evidence that GLP-1RAs hold promise in breaking the link between obesity and cancer.”
Xu said their findings could prompt clinicians to prescribe GLP-1 treatments instead of insulin for people with type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide – the active ingredient in Ozempic – was among the drugs studied by the research team.
GLP-1 agonists have been used for 20 years but have become more popular recently due to their weight loss effects.
Read the study in JAMA Network Open.
