New Study Links GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs to Lower Cancer Risk, Raising Questions About Future Benefits for High-Risk Patients
A major observational study published August 21, 2025, in JAMA Oncology reports that adults with obesity who were treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs)—medications such as semaglutide and liraglutide—experienced a significantly lower incidence of cancer compared with similar adults who did not take these drugs. Although the study does not examine cancer survivors or recurrence risk, its findings may still hold relevance for people who live with higher cancer risk, especially those whose clinicians have already emphasized weight management as part of long-term survivorship care.
The research team analyzed electronic health records from more than 86,000 adults in the OneFlorida+ clinical data network. Participants included 43,317 individuals treated with GLP-1 RAs and an equal number of matched adults with obesity who were not treated with these medications. Over a ten-year follow-up period, the study found 13.6 cancer cases per 1,000 person-years in the GLP-1 group, compared with 16.4 cases per 1,000 person-years in the non-user group, reflecting a 17 percent lower overall cancer risk for people taking these medications.
The reductions were not uniform across cancer types. The most notable associations occurred in endometrial cancer, where users had a 25 percent lower risk; ovarian cancer, where users had roughly half the risk of non-users; and meningioma, a type of typically slow-growing brain tumor. A small increase was observed in kidney cancer, although the authors noted that this signal was statistically borderline and requires further study. As with any observational design, the findings identify associations rather than causation, and the investigators stressed the need for additional mechanistic research and long-term monitoring.
While the study did not evaluate cancer survivors or recurrence patterns, the results intersect with an already well-established body of evidence connecting obesity to increased risks of several cancers and of poorer outcomes after a cancer diagnosis. Excess body weight has been linked in prior research to endometrial, ovarian, post-menopausal breast, colorectal, kidney, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, and obesity is also associated with systemic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and hormonal changes that can influence tumor growth. For cancer survivors, multiple clinical guidelines—from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, the American Cancer Society, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network—highlight weight management as an important part of reducing long-term health risks.
Against that backdrop, the JAMA Oncology findings raise natural questions about whether medications that help patients achieve significant and sustained weight loss may one day play a role in survivorship strategies for people who face elevated recurrence risk due to obesity. The study itself does not address this question, and no conclusions can be drawn about cancer recurrence from the current data. However, because GLP-1 RAs are now widely used, including among cancer survivors under medical supervision, understanding their long-term effects on cancer biology has become an important research priority. The authors note that the magnitude of cancer-risk differences observed in this cohort underscores the importance of conducting mechanistic studies to determine how weight loss, metabolic change, or other factors related to GLP-1 treatment might shape cancer risk trajectories over time.
As prescriptions for these medications expand, future clinical trials and real-world studies are likely to explore how GLP-1 RAs interact with cancer risk in populations beyond the one analyzed here. For now, the results provide one of the largest evaluations to date of how these medications correlate with new cancer diagnoses in adults with obesity, and they contribute to a growing scientific conversation about how metabolic health may intersect with cancer prevention and survivorship.
Source:
JAMA Oncology (August 21, 2025):
“GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Cancer Risk in Adults With Obesity”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2837870
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article.
