New research is raising eyebrows in GI oncology. A large real-world analysis of nearly 7,000 colon cancer patients found that those on GLP-1 drugs had less than half the 5-year mortality of non-users — with the strongest benefits seen in patients with severe obesity.
The signal persisted even after adjusting for disease severity, demographics, and tumor markers, hinting that GLP-1s may be doing more than improving metabolism. Patients on these therapies also had fewer late cardiovascular events and fewer indicators of advancing cancer.
Experts call the findings “intriguing and promising,” but caution that randomized trials are essential before GLP-1s can be considered part of colon cancer care. For now, the data raise an important question: Are metabolic drugs quietly reshaping cancer outcomes?