Do GLP-1–Receptor Agonists Increase Risk for Thyroid Cancer?

Glucagon-like peptide-1–receptor agonists (GLP-1–RAs) are widely used for type 2 diabetes and obesity management, but concerns have emerged regarding their potential association with thyroid cancer, given the increased GLP-1 receptor expression in thyroid cancer cells and preclinical findings of C-cell malignancies in rodents. While some observational studies suggest an increased risk, others report no association.

To investigate this potential association in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers analyzed population-based databases from six countries and identified roughly 100,000 GLP-1–RA users and 2.5 million dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) users. The median follow-up period ranged from 1.8 to 3.0 years for GLP-1–RA users an…