GLP-1s may improve survival for people with breast cancer with brain mets
People with metastatic breast cancer, brain metastases, and type 2 diabetes who used GLP-1 agonists had a 32% lower risk of death over 3 years compared to non-users, according to new research. The results are promising since people with brain mets often have worse survival outcomes.
As more people take GLP-1s like Ozempic (chemical name: semaglutide), scientists have studied if the drugs may do more than just help people lose weight or manage type 2 diabetes. The drugs may improve chemotherapy side effects and survival for people with breast cancer. And early research suggests GLP-1s may improve brain health by lowering inflammation and reducing cell damage. These properties may help people with cancer that has spread to the brain. Brain metastases, which affects 10-15% of people with metastatic breast cancer, are difficult to treat since the brain barrier blocks out most things, including cancer drugs.
Kuan-Yu Chi, MD, investigated the link between GLP-1s and brain mets in this new study. Chi, a resident at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his team compared existing health data of 1,700 adults with cancer, brain mets, and type 2 diabetes. The participants had common cancers, including lung, melanoma, and breast cancer. Half of them were taking GLP-1s — semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide — before they were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and brain mets.
Across all cancer types, GLP-1 users had a 37% lower risk of death over 3 years compared to non-users. For breast cancer, those taking GLP-1s had a 32% lower risk of death over 3 years. All GLP-1s except for liraglutide showed a survival benefit. The researchers wrote that their findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1s may reduce brain inflammation, preserve the protective barrier around the brain, and reduce cell and tissue damage.
The research is still early and the study relied on past data of people with cancer. Chi and his team wrote that their findings warrant future studies that follow people with cancer who take GLP-1s from diagnosis through treatment to better understand the role of GLP-1s on cancer.