In addition to treating diabetes and obesity, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy also appear to help with a range of other serious illnesses, from heart disease to addiction.
A new study suggests these medications may offer some protective benefits for people with colon cancer, particularly those with obesity.
In a new study, people with colon cancer who took GLP-1s were slightly less than half as likely as people with colon cancer who didn’t take the medications to die within five years.
“The main message is that improving metabolic health may do more than lower blood sugar or help with weight loss — it might also help people with colon cancer live longer, especially when obesity is severe,” says Raphael E. Cuomo, MPH, PhD, the author of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of California in San Diego.
Colon Cancer Patients Who Took GLP-1s Experienced Lower Death Rates
The study analyzed health data from more than 6,900 patients within University of California health systems who had been diagnosed with colon cancer. Of the participants, 50.9 percent were male, and the average age was 70.8 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the group taking GLP-1s was 26.4 (which is considered to be in the overweight range), while the mean BMI of the group that didn’t take the drugs was 32.1 (which is classified as obese).
The findings showed that 15.5 percent of participants on the GLP-1 medications died within five years, compared with 37.1 percent of participants who were not taking the medications. In addition, the survival benefits appeared to be more significant in people who were obese, or had a BMI of over 35 — which, as Dr. Cuomo notes, wasn’t necessarily surprising given that the drugs target colon cancer risk factors such as insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.
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“The findings suggest that GLP-1 use, particularly among patients with very high BMI, may be associated with meaningfully better survival, which strengthens the case that these drugs could influence not only whether cancer occurs, but how patients fare after they have it,” he says.
What the Results Could Mean for Future Colon Cancer Treatment
“We know that there’s already a good body of evidence that shows that obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of colon cancer. I would emphasize that we think colon cancer may be a component of that metabolic syndrome and that obesity is part of that,” says Joel Saltzman, MD, an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) expert and a hematologist oncologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “So this finding is not terribly surprising, but I think it’s exciting.”
As Cuomo points out, the study was observational, which means that it can only demonstrate correlation — not causation. That means it’s possible that some other factor besides the GLP-1s themselves accounted for the positive findings.
It’s unclear whether the cancer survival benefit is a result of the way that GLP-1 drugs work in the body, as some preliminary studies have suggested, or improved metabolic health in general — which seems more likely, but which will require more research.
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“I think we have to be careful about assuming that this [effect] is [from] the drug,” says Dr. Saltzman.
The study also has other limitations. Detailed information on the GLP-1 medication dose, duration, and patient adherence was not available for all study participants — who came from a single integrated health system, thus possibly making it difficult to generalize for the broader population.
“While it’s encouraging that there’s lower mortality in colorectal cancer in this instance, that isn’t the reason I would take a GLP-1,” says Saltzman. “I would take it because we know it’s better for heart disease. We know it’s better for kidney disease — but it’s also nice to know that it could be better for colon cancer.”
GLP-1s May Be Only Part of the Picture in Improving Cancer Mortality
The findings underscore the potential of GLP-1s as an add-on to cancer medications, offering a new method for improving outcomes, Cuomo says. “The promise here is that treating the whole metabolic and cardiovascular context of the patient, not just the tumor, could become a powerful tool in improving cancer survival,” he adds.
Until more research is done to better understand the findings, Saltzman continues to recommend conversations between healthcare provider and patient — and routine colonoscopies as indicated by the patient’s age and health status.
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“I tell patients to use [a cancer diagnosis] as an opportunity to get healthy. And there’s no question that this group of drugs is super helpful for people who are exercising and still obese,” says Saltzman. “So, if that’s the case, then talk to your doctor about whether these drugs can be used in addition to exercise.”
