The UC San Diego team analysed real-world clinical data from the University of California Health Data Warehouse, tracking outcomes across the state's major academic medical centres.
Published Nov 14, 2025 | 1:31 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 14, 2025 | 1:31 PM
Obesity drug. (iStock)
Synopsis: Researchers at the University of California in the US found that patients taking GLP-1 medications — the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro — were less than half as likely to die within five years of a colon cancer diagnosis.
The blockbuster drugs that have revolutionised weight loss may have just revealed an unexpected superpower: Helping colon cancer patients survive.
In a discovery, researchers at the University of California in the US found that patients taking GLP-1 medications—the class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro—were less than half as likely to die within five years of a colon cancer diagnosis compared to those not using these medications.
Out of more than 6,800 colon cancer patients analysed across University of California Health facilities, the survival gap was dramatic: Only 15.5 percent of GLP-1 users died within five years, compared to 37.1 percent of non-users. That’s a difference too large to ignore.
“These findings suggest a strong and independent protective effect,” said Dr Raphael Cuomo, the study’s lead researcher and associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology.
Even after accounting for age, disease severity, body mass index, and other health conditions, the protective benefit remained significant—hinting that something about these drugs may fundamentally alter how the body responds to cancer.
The survival advantage appeared strongest in patients with severe obesity, defined as a BMI over 35. This group faces particularly poor cancer outcomes due to chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction—conditions that can fuel tumour growth and complicate treatment.
GLP-1 drugs appear to tackle these problems head-on. Beyond their well-known effects on blood sugar and appetite, these medications reduce inflammation throughout the body, enhance insulin sensitivity, and promote substantial weight loss—all factors that can slow cancer progression.
Laboratory studies have already shown that GLP-1 receptor agonists can directly inhibit tumour cell growth, trigger cancer cell death, and even reshape the hostile environment within tumours that helps cancer spread. But whether these lab findings translate to real-world survival benefits has remained an open question — until now.
The UC San Diego team analysed real-world clinical data from the University of California Health Data Warehouse, tracking outcomes across the state’s major academic medical centres. The consistency of the survival benefit across different patient populations strengthens the case that these drugs may genuinely protect against cancer mortality.
But here’s the catch: This study is observational, meaning it shows an association but doesn’t prove cause and effect. The researchers can’t yet say whether GLP-1 drugs directly fight cancer or simply improve patients’ overall metabolic health enough to help them better tolerate cancer treatments.
“We urgently need clinical trials to test whether GLP-1 medications can actually enhance cancer survival rates,” Dr Cuomo emphasised. Such trials would randomly assign patients to receive GLP-1 drugs or standard care, providing definitive answers about whether these medications truly have anti-cancer properties.
For now, colon cancer patients shouldn’t start taking GLP-1 drugs solely in hopes of improving their prognosis — these medications aren’t approved for cancer treatment and come with their own side effects and costs. But for patients already taking them for diabetes or weight management, this research offers encouraging news.
It also opens an intriguing new chapter in cancer research. If clinical trials confirm these findings, GLP-1 drugs could become part of cancer treatment protocols, particularly for patients with obesity-related cancers — a category that extends beyond colon cancer to include breast, pancreatic, and kidney cancers, among others.
The study appeared in the journal Cancer Investigation on 11 November, marking what could be the beginning of a paradigm shift in how we think about metabolic drugs and cancer care.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
