GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with cancer are associated with reduced all-cause mortality and hospitalization
Authors' conclusion
Patients with diabetes and cancer who received GLP-1RAs experienced superior survival outcomes and reduced rates of hospitalization compared to patients receiving metformin. Additionally, patients already on metformin and newly started on GLP-1RAs demonstrated superior survival outcomes compared to patients newly started on insulin. Further prospective, well-controlled studies are needed to evaluate the benefits of GLP-1RAs in patients with diabetes and cancer.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with T2D and active cancer starting systemic therapy, TriNetX database
- Participants
- 3,747 vs 52,061
- Exposure
- GLP-1 RA vs metformin
- GLP-1RAsn = 3,747
- Metforminn = 52,061reference
- Outcome
- All-cause mortality
Methodological detailsTriNetX global database
- TriNetX global database
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Mortality
GLP-1RAs vs MetforminHazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Overall monotherapy cohort
0.875(0.778–0.985)
P = 0.0268New-start cohort
0.786(0.662–0.934)
P = 0.0062Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
All-cause hospitalization, sepsis, MACE, PE, pneumonia
- Lower rates of all-cause hospitalization, sepsis, MACE, PE and pneumonia with GLP-1RAs
Subanalyses by BMI and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
- Subanalyses stratified by BMI and HbA1c did not meet statistical significance
Original publication
GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with cancer are associated with reduced all-cause mortality and hospitalization. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 2 January 2026. doi:10.
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