Clinical pathology selected abstracts
May 2025—Independent risk factors for many cancers include health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLA-1RAs) are an effective treatment for these chronic conditions and provide glycemic control, weight reduction, and immunomodulation. In a recent study, GLP-1RAs were associated with lower cancer risk in solid tumor cancers. However, the relationship between GLP-1RAs and hematological cancers has not been explored. Therefore, the authors conducted a study to compare the risk of hematological cancers in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with GLP-1RAs to that of patients with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin or insulin. The primary outcome was a first diagnosis of a hematological cancer within 15 years of an antidiabetic drug being prescribed. The retrospective cohort study used TriNetX, a repository of aggregated electronic health record data of medical encounters for approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population. The platform includes medical information from various age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds, income levels, and insurance types.