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A new study from the University of California San Diego offers strong evidence that GLP-1 receptor agonists — for example, the class of drugs behind Ozempic, Vegovi, and Monzaro — may do more than just control blood sugar and weight. In an analysis of more than 6,800 colon cancer patients across all University of California health sites, researchers found that those who were taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs were less than half as likely to die within five years as those who were not taking the drugs (15.5% vs. 37.1%).
The study, led by Rafael Cuomo, PhD, associate professor in the department of anesthesiology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and member of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, used real-world clinical data from the University of California Health Data Warehouse to assess outcomes at the state’s academic medical centers. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), disease severity, and other health factors, GLP-1 users still showed a significantly lower likelihood of death, suggesting a strong and independent protective effect.
The survival benefit appeared most pronounced in patients with a very high BMI (over 35), suggesting that GLP-1 drugs may help combat the inflammatory and metabolic conditions that worsen colon cancer prognosis. Researchers believe that several biological mechanisms may explain this link. In addition to controlling blood sugar, GLP-1 receptor agonists reduce systemic inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and promote weight loss – all factors that may attenuate tumor-promoting pathways. Laboratory studies also show that GLP-1 drugs can directly inhibit cancer cell growth, trigger cancer cell death, and reshape the tumor microenvironment. However, the study authors emphasize that more research is needed to confirm these mechanisms and determine whether the survival benefit seen in this real-world analysis represents a direct anti-cancer effect or an indirect result of improved metabolic health.
Cuomo says that although these results are observational, they underscore the urgent need for clinical trials to test whether GLP-1 drugs can improve cancer survival rates, especially for patients with obesity-related cancers.
The study appeared in Cancer Investigations on November 11, 2025.