BOSTON — Ontada said new real-world research being presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting found that use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with improved overall survival among patients with several common solid tumors.
The Boston-based McKesson business, which focuses on real-world oncology data and insights, said the observational study examined GLP-1 receptor agonist use and survival outcomes among patients treated in U.S. community oncology practices.
The study, titled “GLP 1 receptor agonist utilization and survival outcomes in a large U.S. community oncology cohort,” analyzed patients diagnosed with cancer between January 2021 and October 2024, with follow-up through October 2025. Researchers identified 418 patients treated with a GLP-1 receptor agonist and 3,476 non-users, matching patients by cancer type and diagnosis year to evaluate overall survival.
The analysis included patients diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, hepatocellular or renal cancer. Ontada said propensity-score adjusted models found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was significantly associated with improved overall survival after adjustment for factors including age, body mass index, cancer stage and cancer type. The study reported a hazard ratio of 0.66, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.45 to 0.97 and a p-value of 0.0031.
“While GLP-1 therapies are well established for metabolic disease, emerging preclinical and observational data suggest potential anticancer effects, yet large-scale studies investigating this association have been limited,” said Jess Paulus, ScD, vice president of Real-World Research at Ontada and presenting author of the study. “As use of these therapies continues to expand, high-quality real-world data are essential to understanding their broader impact. Our findings demonstrate the value of real-world evidence in identifying anticancer signals and helping efficiently guide future research and prioritization of prospective studies.”
The retrospective analysis evaluated use of GLP-1 receptor agonists including dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide, semaglutide and tirzepatide. Overall survival was measured from initial cancer diagnosis to death from any cause, and researchers used methods intended to address immortal time bias.
Among patients who received a GLP-1 receptor agonist, the median age was 63, 58% were White and 57% had a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m². Semaglutide accounted for 55% of prescriptions.
By comparison, non-users had a median age of 68, 58% were White and 28% had a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m². Ontada said 74% of GLP-1 users began therapy after their initial cancer diagnosis, including 7% who started after a metastatic diagnosis. Breast cancer and prostate cancer were the most common malignancies among GLP-1 users, representing 27% and 13% of that group, respectively.
“At Ontada, our focus is on advancing cancer care by transforming real-world data into meaningful insights,” said Christine Davis, president, Ontada. “This research reflects Ontada’s commitment to generating high-quality, real-world evidence that helps advance how cancer is understood and treated. By studying emerging therapies within community oncology settings, we can help surface insights that inform future research and ultimately support better outcomes for patients.”
