Researchers at Case Western Reserve University concluded that a class of antidiabetic drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may reduce the development of colorectal cancer. Medicines called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are given by injection and have a role in lowering blood sugar levels, improving insulin sensitivity and maintaining a normal weight.
Because obesity/overweight are major risk factors for colorectal cancer, it was hypothesized that GLP-1 RAs are associated with a reduced risk of this type of cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to those taking other classes of antidiabetic drugs to control the disease.
conclusions studied after a 15-year follow-up period of patients with diabetes were that GLP-1RAs were associated with a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer regardless of body weight, but with significant effects among obese/overweight individuals. This suggests that GLP-1Ras had a protective role in part against the development of colorectal cancer and by mediating weight loss, but also through other mechanisms unrelated to body weight. The incidence of colorectal cancer in patients treated with GLP-1RAs was 44% lower than in those treated with insulin and 25% lower than in the group of patients treated with metformin.
“Our results clearly demonstrate that GLP-1Ras drugs are significantly more effective than other known antidiabetic drugs, such as metformin or insulin, in preventing the development of colorectal cancer,” said co-author Nathan Berger, a professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. IN A article published in Inside Precision Medicine.
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The GLP-1 receptor is a type of G protein-coupled receptor that when interacting with the GLP-1 ligand activates signaling pathways that regulate insulin secretion, glucose metabolism, and appetite reduction. GLP-1 is released from intestinal cells in response to the presence of nutrients. Because of the role of intestinal L-type cells that release GLP-1, the researchers hypothesized that GLP-1RAs might also have a protective role against the development of colorectal cancer, not just in the control of type 2 diabetes and body weight.
The study was retrospective, analyzing the data of approximately 1.2 million patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were treated with antidiabetics over a period between 2005-2019. A comparison was made between the incidence rate of colorectal cancer in patients receiving GLP-1 RAs and those treated with other drug classes.
The conclusions after a period of follow-up of patients with type 2 diabetes included in the study were that GLP-1RAs were associated as follows:
- With a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to insulin, metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, thiazolidinedione and sulphonylurea
- With a lower but not statistically significant risk compared to alpha-glucosidases or DPP 4 inhibitors
- With a lower risk in obese/overweight patients compared to insulin, metformin or other antidiabetics
Although this study had promising results, further studies are needed to investigate the effects of GLP-1RAs in patients who have received antidiabetic treatment in the past, the mechanisms of action of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and their effects on other types of cancer associated with obesity.
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2024-01-05 10:17:40
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