HMN 2025: How Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists tied to greater thyroid cancer threat in first 12 months of therapy

The absolute threat for thyroid cancer is low amongst sufferers receiving glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) remedy, however threat is elevated within the first 12 months of therapy, based on a review published on-line Jan. 23 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Juan P. Brito, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues estimated the danger for incident thyroid cancer amongst adults with sort 2 diabetes being handled with GLP-1 RAs versus different widespread glucose-lowering drugs. The evaluation included 41,112 sufferers beginning therapy with GLP-1 RAs; 76,093 beginning a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i); 43,499 beginning a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i); and 191,209 beginning sulfonylurea remedy.

The researchers discovered that the numbers of sufferers recognized with thyroid cancer have been 0.17% within the GLP-1 RA group, 0.23% within the DPP4i group, 0.17% within the SGLT2i group, and 0.20% within the sulfonylurea group. GLP-1 RA initiation was not considerably related to an elevated general threat for thyroid cancer versus the opposite diabetes medicine within the modified intention-to-treat evaluation (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88 to 1.76).

In the primary 12 months after GLP-1 RA initiation, thyroid cancer threat was elevated (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.11 to three.08) and was amplified within the general as-treated evaluation that restricted sufferers from evaluation when remedy was discontinued or one other medicine was added (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.10 to three.95).

“These findings point out that GLP-1 RA initiation was related to new analysis of thyroid cancer solely within the brief time period, doubtless on account of elevated vigilance and case detection moderately than de novo pathogenesis,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to related organizations.

© 2025 .