Enlarge / Ozempic is a GLP-1 drug for adults with sort 2 diabetes.
For sufferers with Sort 2 diabetes, taking one of many new GLP-1 medicine, akin to Ozempic, is related to decrease dangers of creating 10 out of 13 obesity-associated cancers as in contrast with taking insulin, in line with a latest research revealed in JAMA Community Open.
The research was retrospective, capturing information from over 1.6 million sufferers with Sort 2 diabetes however no historical past of obesity-associated cancers previous to the research interval. Utilizing digital well being information, researchers had follow-up information for as much as 15 years after the sufferers began taking both a GLP-1 drug, insulin, or metformin between 2008 and 2015.
This kind of research cannot show that the GLP-1 medicine precipitated the decrease related dangers, however the outcomes match with some earlier findings. That features outcomes from one trial that discovered a 32 p.c total decrease threat of obesity-associated cancers following bariatric surgical procedure for weight reduction.
Within the new research, led by researchers at Case Western Reserve College Faculty of Drugs, a number of the GLP-1-associated threat reductions had been fairly substantial. In contrast with sufferers taking insulin, sufferers taking a GLP-1 drug had a 65 p.c decrease related threat of gall bladder most cancers, a 63 p.c decrease related threat of meningioma (a sort of mind tumor), a 59 p.c decrease related threat for pancreatic most cancers, and a 53 p.c decrease related threat of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver most cancers). The researchers additionally discovered decrease related dangers for esophageal most cancers, colorectal most cancers, kidney most cancers, ovarian most cancers, endometrial most cancers, and a number of myeloma.
In contrast with insulin, the researchers noticed no lowered related threat for thyroid and breast cancers. There was a decrease threat of abdomen most cancers calculated, however the discovering was not statistically vital.
Gaps and objectives
The GLP-1 medicine didn’t present such promising outcomes in opposition to metformin within the research. In contrast with sufferers taking metformin, sufferers on GLP-1 medicine noticed decrease related dangers of colorectal most cancers, gall bladder most cancers, and meningioma, however these calculations weren’t statistically vital. The outcomes additionally unexpectedly indicated the next threat of kidney most cancers for these taking GLP-1 medicine, however the reason for that doubtlessly increased threat (which was not seen within the comparability with insulins) is unclear. The researchers known as for extra analysis to analyze that potential affiliation.
General, the researchers name for much extra research to attempt to affirm a hyperlink between GLP-1 medicine and decrease most cancers dangers, in addition to research to attempt to perceive the mechanisms behind these potential threat reductions. It is unclear if the decrease dangers could also be pushed just by weight reduction, or if insulin resistance, blood sugar ranges, or another mechanisms are at play.
The present research had a number of limitations given its retrospective, records-based design. Maybe the largest one is that the information did not enable the researchers to trace particular person sufferers’ weights all through the research interval. As such, researchers could not study related most cancers threat reductions with precise weight reduction. It is another facet that warrants additional analysis.
Nonetheless, the research offers one other promising end result for the blockbuster, albeit pricy, medicine. The researchers recommend extending their work to evaluate whether or not GLP-1 medicine may very well be used to enhance outcomes in sufferers with Sort 2 diabetes or weight problems who’re already identified with most cancers, along with understanding if the medicine can assist forestall the most cancers.