GLP-1 medications are changing how doctors treat obesity and diabetes. Now, researchers are looking into whether these widely used drugs might also affect cancer risk and patient outcomes.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) highlighted in its 2026 Cancer Progress Report that obesity is a major risk factor for many cancers. Since GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound can lead to significant weight loss, cancer researchers are paying close attention to them.
The AACR report cited studies suggesting these drugs might lower the risk of some cancers, but it also stressed that the overall evidence remains unclear. The report explained that randomized clinical trials are the best way to find answers, but none have been done yet to see how GLP-1 drugs affect cancer outcomes.
Dr. Sai Yendamuri, a thoracic surgeon at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, said that obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking. He also pointed out that several studies have compared people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists with those who are not.
Many of these studies found that people taking the medications had a lower risk of cancer and better survival rates. However, some studies did not find any link, and a few even showed a higher risk for certain illnesses, like thyroid cancer.
Yendamuri shared that his research on lung cancer found lower recurrence rates in surgery patients who were taking GLP-1 receptor agonists. He also saw lower recurrence rates in patients with advanced cancers who were getting immunotherapy and taking GLP-1s.
Based on lab studies, he thinks these medications have only a small direct effect on cancer cells. Instead, researchers believe the drugs may change how the body’s immune system responds to cancer cells, helping it fight them more effectively.
Since not everyone who takes these medications loses a lot of weight, Yendamuri said future studies will need to find out if the cancer benefits are only due to weight loss.
Yendamuri hopes lifestyle changes and GLP-1 medications could one day help prevent second cancers. He also stressed the ongoing need for National Cancer Institute funding to support new research.
