“The world's most popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs are linked to a powerful new possible benefit: better outcomes for cancer patients.
Four new studies suggest that people taking so-called GLP-1 drugs like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro saw reductions in tumor progression, lower overall chance of death and less risk of developing breast cancer.
"It's really provocative that they showed, in several cancers, that people who took these drugs seem to have a lower risk of their cancer returning," said Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, a breast oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute not involved in the studies.
One study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute tracked more than 10,000 patients with early-stage cancers who started GLP-1 drugs after diagnosis and compared their disease progression to those on a different diabetes medication. Those on GLP-1s were less likely to see their cancer spread.
In lung-cancer patients, the rate of progression to advanced disease was cut roughly in half -- 10% in GLP-1 users versus 22% in the comparison group. Breast cancer patients showed a similar pattern, with progression rates of 10% versus 20%. Colorectal and liver cancers also showed statistically significant reductions [1].
Given millions of Americans are on GLP-1s, "it's obviously quite important that we immediately understand what the potential anti-tumor effects could be," said Dr. Mark Orland, a resident at Cleveland Clinic who will present the study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting this month.
A cancer impact would add to the benefits that researchers credit to GLP-1 drugs. In addition to reducing blood sugar and spurring weight loss, they are approved for reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and in testing for helping with sleep apnea and damping addictive behaviors.
The drugs have also turned Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly into two of the world's most valuable drug companies.
These studies were observational, which differs from studies of drugs' intended effects. Instead people were already taking the drugs for diabetes or obesity, and researchers gleaned insights from medical records. More research is needed to confirm the results.
Other studies specifically looked at breast cancer, examining both whether GLP-1 users were less likely to develop the disease and whether they lived longer after diagnosis. An analysis from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center of more than 137,000 patients found that more than 95% of GLP-1 users were alive after five years, compared with 89.5% for nonusers.
A University of Pennsylvania study of nearly 95,000 women undergoing breast imaging found those who had taken a GLP-1 were about 25% less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, even after accounting for age, weight and other risk factors.” [2]
1. What is the rate of progression to advanced disease in GLP-1 users versus in the comparison group for colorectal and liver cancers?
Research presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting shows GLP-1 users had significantly lower rates of cancer progression. Progression to stage IV disease in GLP-1 users versus those on the comparison drug DPP-4 inhibitors ("gliptins") was:
• Colorectal cancer: 13% for GLP-1 users vs. 22% for the comparison group.
• Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma): 19% for GLP-1 users vs. 28% for the comparison group.
These findings—detailed by Cleveland Clinic researchers—suggest potential anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.
2. U.S. News: Studies Suggest Diet Drugs Stall Cancer. Martinez, Xavier. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 May 2026: A3.
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