Impact of incretin mimetic therapy on weight change in patients with cancer: A pan-cancer analysis from a single institutional cohort.

10598 Background: An elevated body mass index (BMI) is a frequent comorbidity in patients with cancer. Chemotherapy can exacerbate metabolic dysfunction and weight gain, further complicating cancer management. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are indicated for the treatment of diabetes (DM) and obesity, promoting weight loss through mechanisms such as insulin secretion, delayed gastric emptying, and reduced appetite. However, their effect after a cancer diagnosis, particularly during chemotherapy, remains underexplored. Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective study evaluating cancer patients prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA). Patient demographics, cancer type (solid vs. hematologic), and treatment details were extracted from the medical records. The overlap between GLP-1RA therapy and chemotherapy administration was recorded. Changes in BMI were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentiles and median values. A one-sample t-test assessed the overall significance of BMI changes, while subgroup analyses using Welch two-sample t-tests evaluated the impact of chemotherapy, sex, and cancer type on BMI reduction. R software was used to perform statistical analyses. Results: Between 2015 and 2024, 339 cancer patients were treated with GLP-1RAs, mainly semaglutide (48%) and liraglutide (28%). DM was the primary indication in 92% patients (Table 1). The median age at initiation was 60.8 years (range: 19.0–88.2), for a median duration of 11.8 months (range: 2.6–94.1). Median BMI decreased from 32.5 kg/m² (range: 18.9–58.9) pre-treatment to 31.5 kg/m² (range: 16.6–60.2) on/post-treatment, with a median change of -1.0 kg/m² (95%CI: -1.64, -1.01) and a median percentage reduction of -3.71% (95%CI: -4.59%, -2.83%). Subgroup analyses showed significant BMI reductions in patients receiving chemotherapy (median: -4.18%, 95%CI: -6.38%, -2.82%) and those not receiving chemotherapy (median: -2.32%, 95%CI: -4.32%, -2.31%), with no significant difference between the groups (95%CI: -0.22, 1.28). Additionally, BMI reductions were consistent across sex (95%CI: -0.91, 0.36) and cancer type (solid vs. hematologic, 95%CI: -0.77, 0.64). Conclusions: GLP-1RA use resulted in weight loss in cancer patients independent of chemotherapy exposure, sex, or cancer type. Although the degree of weight loss was modest, findings were consistent with GLP1-RA treatment dosed for a diabetes indication. These findings support the need for clinical trials evaluating incretin mimetics for weight management and their potential impact on cancer-specific outcomes. Patient demographics. Variable: # of Patients ( n ): %: Sex: F / M 180 / 156 54 / 46 White 171 61 Black 56 20 Asian 20 7 Other Race or Unknown 34 12 Solid Tumor 249 74 Hematological Cancer 87 26 Chemotherapy During GLP-1RA 103 30 GLP-1RA Use for DM Indication 313 92

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Journal
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Published
2025-05-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2025.43.16_suppl.10598
Primary Topic
Nutrition and Health in Aging
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article
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article

Impact of incretin mimetic therapy on weight change in patients with cancer: A pan-cancer analysis from a single institutional cohort.

Neil M. Iyengar, Anders L. Carlson, Sherry Shen, Urvi Ashok Shah et al.
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Nutrition and Health in Aging
article

Impact of incretin mimetic therapy on weight change in patients with cancer: A pan-cancer analysis from a single institutional cohort.

Neil M. Iyengar, Anders L. Carlson, Sherry Shen, Urvi Ashok Shah, Andriy Derkach, Yan Leyfman
article en

Abstract

10598 Background: An elevated body mass index (BMI) is a frequent comorbidity in patients with cancer. Chemotherapy can exacerbate metabolic dysfunction and weight gain, further complicating cancer management. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are indicated for the treatment of diabetes (DM) and obesity, promoting weight loss through mechanisms such as insulin secretion, delayed gastric emptying, and reduced appetite. However, their effect after a cancer diagnosis, particularly during chemotherapy, remains underexplored. Methods: This was a single-institution retrospective study evaluating cancer patients prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA). Patient demographics, cancer type (solid vs. hematologic), and treatment details were extracted from the medical records. The overlap between GLP-1RA therapy and chemotherapy administration was recorded. Changes in BMI were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including percentiles and median values. A one-sample t-test assessed the overall significance of BMI changes, while subgroup analyses using Welch two-sample t-tests evaluated the impact of chemotherapy, sex, and cancer type on BMI reduction. R software was used to perform statistical analyses. Results: Between 2015 and 2024, 339 cancer patients were treated with GLP-1RAs, mainly semaglutide (48%) and liraglutide (28%). DM was the primary indication in 92% patients (Table 1). The median age at initiation was 60.8 years (range: 19.0–88.2), for a median duration of 11.8 months (range: 2.6–94.1). Median BMI decreased from 32.5 kg/m² (range: 18.9–58.9) pre-treatment to 31.5 kg/m² (range: 16.6–60.2) on/post-treatment, with a median change of -1.0 kg/m² (95%CI: -1.64, -1.01) and a median percentage reduction of -3.71% (95%CI: -4.59%, -2.83%). Subgroup analyses showed significant BMI reductions in patients receiving chemotherapy (median: -4.18%, 95%CI: -6.38%, -2.82%) and those not receiving chemotherapy (median: -2.32%, 95%CI: -4.32%, -2.31%), with no significant difference between the groups (95%CI: -0.22, 1.28). Additionally, BMI reductions were consistent across sex (95%CI: -0.91, 0.36) and cancer type (solid vs. hematologic, 95%CI: -0.77, 0.64). Conclusions: GLP-1RA use resulted in weight loss in cancer patients independent of chemotherapy exposure, sex, or cancer type. Although the degree of weight loss was modest, findings were consistent with GLP1-RA treatment dosed for a diabetes indication. These findings support the need for clinical trials evaluating incretin mimetics for weight management and their potential impact on cancer-specific outcomes. Patient demographics. Variable: # of Patients ( n ): %: Sex: F / M 180 / 156 54 / 46 White 171 61 Black 56 20 Asian 20 7 Other Race or Unknown 34 12 Solid Tumor 249 74 Hematological Cancer 87 26 Chemotherapy During GLP-1RA 103 30 GLP-1RA Use for DM Indication 313 92

Journal of Clinical OncologyVol. 43(16_suppl)
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US), SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (US), South Nassau Communities Hospital (US), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 84%
Nutrition and Health in Aging
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