GLP-1 drugs linked to lower cancer risk; possible kidney signal

A large real-world study found that glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs), prescribed for obesity and overweight conditions, were associated with a lower overall cancer risk, with especially strong reductions for endometrial, ovarian, and meningioma cancers. The analysis, drawing from electronic health records of more than 86,000 adults in the OneFlorida Clinical Research Network, compared roughly 43,000 GLP1RA users with an equally sized nonuser group over a follow-up period ranging from one to 11 years. While the overall cancer incidence was lower among GLP1RA users, the study also noted a potential signal of increased kidney cancer risk, though some results were not statistically definitive.

In the study population, GLP1RA users had an incidence rate of 13.6 cancers per 1,000 person-years, versus 16.4 per 1,000 in nonusers, translating to a 17 percent relative reduction in overall cancer risk. The protective effects appeared most pronounced for three hormone-related cancers: endometrial cancer showed a hazard ratio of 0.75, ovarian cancer 0.53, and meningioma 0.69, all indicating meaningful risk reductions. By contrast, kidney cancer showed a higher risk among...