A new study from the University of California San Diego has found that popular diabetes and weight-loss medications might also help people with colon cancer live longer.
The research focused on a group of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are usually used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
These medications include well-known names like semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro.
Doctors already know that these drugs help control blood sugar and promote weight loss. But now, scientists are seeing signs that the benefits might go further.
In this study, people with colon cancer who took GLP-1 drugs were less than half as likely to die within five years compared to those who didn’t take the drugs. The death rate was 15.5% in the group taking the medication, compared to 37.1% in those not taking it.
The research team was led by Dr. Raphael Cuomo, a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a researcher at the university’s Moores Cancer Center. They analyzed medical records from over 6,800 colon cancer patients across health centers in California.
Even after adjusting for other important factors like age, cancer stage, body weight, and other illnesses, the survival benefit of GLP-1 medications remained strong.
This suggests that the drugs may offer protective effects that are not just tied to weight loss or diabetes control. The benefit was especially noticeable in patients with obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) over 35.
This could mean that these drugs help reduce inflammation and other harmful processes that make cancer harder to treat.
Scientists believe there are a few possible reasons why GLP-1 drugs might help in cancer. These drugs are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and improve how the body handles sugar and fat.
Lab studies have also shown that GLP-1 medications may slow down the growth of cancer cells, cause cancer cells to die, and change the tumor’s surroundings in a way that stops the disease from spreading.
Still, the researchers warn that this study cannot prove that the drugs directly fight cancer. It’s possible that the lower death rate comes from overall improvements in the patient’s health rather than a specific effect on cancer. That’s why more research is needed.
Dr. Cuomo said that these findings call for new clinical trials. These trials would test whether GLP-1 medications truly improve cancer survival in a controlled setting. If future studies confirm these benefits, it could lead to a major change in how doctors treat certain types of cancer—especially those linked to obesity.
The study was published on November 11, 2025, in the journal Cancer Investigation. As more people take these medications for diabetes or weight loss, understanding their broader effects on health—including cancer—is becoming more important than ever.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk, and how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and results showing vitamin D supplements strongly reduces cancer death.
The study is published in Cancer Investigation.
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