Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist use and risk of thyroid cancer: Scandinavian cohort study
Authors' conclusion
In this large cohort study using nationwide data from three countries, GLP1 receptor agonist use was not associated with a substantially increased risk of thyroid cancer over a mean follow-up of 3.9 years. In the main analysis comparing GLP1 receptor agonists with DPP4 inhibitors, the upper limit of the confidence interval was consistent with no more than a 31% increase in relative risk.
Study context
- Population
- New users of GLP-1 RA or DPP-4i (additional analysis: SGLT2i), Denmark, Norway and Sweden, 2007–21
- Exposure
- GLP-1 RA vs DPP-4i
- GLP1 receptor agonistn = 145,410
- DPP4 inhibitorn = 291,667reference
- Outcome
- Thyroid cancer identified from nationwide cancer registers
Methodological detailsactive-comparator new user design, propensity score weighting, nationwide registers, multinational (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)
- Active-comparator new user design
- Propensity score weighting
- Nationwide registers
- Multinational (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Thyroid cancer · mean follow-up 3.9 years (GLP-1 RA) and 5.4 years (DPP-4i)
GLP-1 RA
1.33 events per 10 000 person years
76 events
DPP-4i
1.46 events per 10 000 person years
184 events
Hazard ratio (95% CI)
GLP-1 RAvs DPP-4i
0.93(0.66–1.31)
Rate difference, events per 10 000 person years (95% CI)
GLP-1 RAvs DPP-4i
−0.13(−0.61 to 0.36)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | HR (CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Medullary thyroid cancerGLP-1 RAvs DPP-4i | 1.19 (0.37–3.86) | |
| Thyroid cancer, additional analysisvs SGLT2i | 1.16 (0.65–2.05) | |
| 0.20.5125Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist use and risk of thyroid cancer: Scandinavian cohort study. BMJ. Published 10 April 2024. doi:10.
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