MONDAY, Jan. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is associated with a reduced risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence compared with aspirin, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, held from Jan. 8 to 10 in San Francisco.
Colton Jones, M.D., from the University of Texas San Antonio, and colleagues conducted a head-to-head comparison of GLP-1 RA and aspirin for primary CRC prevention utilizing deidentified data from TriNetX. Using propensity-score matching, GLP-1 RA users were matched to aspirin users (281,656 participants; 140,828 in each cohort); the primary end point was CRC incidence.
The researchers found that the incidence of CRC was 0.130 percent and 0.176 percent among GLP-1 RA and aspirin users, respectively, yielding an adjusted risk ratio of 0.0455 percent and number needed to treat of 2,198. GLP-1 RA use was associated with a significantly reduced risk for CRC (risk ratio, 0.741). Across sensitivity analyses, this benefit was consistent at 12 and 36 months (risk ratios, 0.738 and 0.779, respectively). The benefit was also consistent across subgroups classified according to age (risk ratios, 0.537, 0.687, and 0.524 at age 18 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 years and oldr, respectively) and body mass index (risk ratios, 0.520 and 0.719 for body mass index ≤29 and ≥30 kg/m2, respectively), without atherosclerotic disease (risk ratio, 0.792), and according to hemoglobin A1c (risk ratios, 0.400 and 0.618 for ≥6.5 and ≤6.4 percent, respectively). The only GLP-1 RA agent to show significant benefit was semaglutide (risk ratio, 0.758).
"GLP-1 receptor agonists, now widely prescribed for diabetes and obesity, may offer a safer option for both metabolic control and cancer prevention," Jones said in a statement.