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Zheng, Lei

Mayo Clinic

The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center

Citations 2

From risk to reward: Redefining the role of GLP-1 receptor agonist in pancreatic cancer primary prevention.
Jones, Colton, Dipko, Kawika, Dao, Jonathan , Arya, Yajur , Syal, Arshi , Neely, Ariana N., Obomanu, Elvis, Zheng, Lei, Dipko, Kawika, Neely, Ariana N., Obomanu, Elvis , Zheng, Lei, Arora, Sukeshi Patel

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.e16449 Get It

e16449 Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) carries a dismal 5-year survival of < 12%, and no FDA-approved agents exist for primary prevention. PC risk is strongly linked to obesity, diabetes, and chronic inflammation. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) directly target obesity-driven inflammatory pathways, reduce metabolic stress, and modulate signaling pathways (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) that drive cancer apoptosis. Based on this biological rationale, we conducted the first large-scale real-world study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of GLP-1RA for primary prevention of PC in high-risk patients. Methods: Leveraging a large real-world database (TriNetX), we identified patients aged 18-90 years with ≥1 PC risk factor (tobacco use, obesity, type 2 diabetes, alcohol use disorder, chronic pancreatitis, first-degree relative with PC, genetic susceptibility to PC) based on ICD-10 codes. Patients were stratified by GLP-1RA exposure into two cohorts: Cohort A (GLP-1RA users with ≥ 2 months of prescriptions) and Cohort B (controls). The primary endpoint was incident PC, and the secondary endpoints were adverse events related to GLP-1RAs. Patients with outcomes before the study window were excluded. Propensity score matching adjusted for confounders. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for categorical outcomes, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios for time-to-event outcomes. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were employed to validate the strength of our results. Results: Median follow-up was 3,397 days for GLP-1RA users and 2,531 days for controls. Demographics were balanced between cohorts (mean age 42 years; 74% White, 15% Black; 72% female). Among 572,330 high-risk patients (286,165 per cohort), PC incidence was significantly lower among GLP-1RA users (0.05%; 134/286,165) than among non-users (0.13%; 362/286,097), with a 2.6-fold reduction in the absolute incidence of PC among high-risk patients (NNT of 1,255). GLP-1RA use was associated with a 71% reduction in PC incidence (HR 0.289; 95% CI 0.237–0.352). GLP-1RA use was associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal adverse events, including nausea/vomiting (HR 1.108; 95% CI 1.096–1.121), abdominal pain (HR 1.081; 95% CI 1.066–1.097), diarrhea (HR 1.199; 95% CI 1.182–1.217), and constipation (HR 1.159; 95% CI 1.143–1.176). Conclusions: GLP-1RA use significantly reduced PC incidence by 71% in high-risk patients, the strongest real-world signal yet for a pharmacologic prevention of this lethal malignancy. Although the absolute incidence remained low, the magnitude of the risk reduction underscores the transformative potential of GLP-1RA in preventive oncology. These findings address a critical unmet need in pancreatic oncology. Prospective mechanistic and randomized studies are warranted to validate these associations.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist for primary prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in high-risk patients: A real-world analysis across metabolic, viral, alcoholic, and hereditary liver disease.
Jones, Colton, Dao, Jonathan , Neely, Ariana N., Ugwu, Chidiebube, Megiso, Muluken, Persad, Damion, Syal, Arshi , Arya, Yajur , Verinumbe, Tarfa, Velázquez, Vanessa, Obomanu, Elvis, Zheng, Lei, Neely, Ariana N., Ugwu, Chidiebube , Megiso, Muluken Zeleke, Verinumbe, Tarfa, Obomanu, Elvis , Arora, Sukeshi Patel

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 27, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: 10522-10522

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.10522 Get It

10522 Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality. While antiviral and metabolic therapies have reduced incidence, scalable pharmacologic strategies for primary prevention (PP) remain a critical unmet need. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have demonstrated preclinical antitumor activity and the potential to mitigate hepatic lipotoxicity while promoting metabolic reprogramming to stabilize cirrhosis. However, while chemoprevention signals are observed in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and type 2 diabetes, the efficacy of GLP-1RAs for PP across diverse liver disease etiologies remains underexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a global, multicenter analysis on the efficacy and safety of GLP-1RAs for the PP of HCC in a pan-etiology high-risk cohort. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the TriNetX database (150M patients across 108 health organizations). Adults 18–90 years at elevated HCC risk with ≥ 1 risk factor (chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, MASLD, alcohol use disorder, or hereditary liver disorders) were identified. Cohort A (≥3 months of GLP-1RA) was propensity score-matched 1:1 with Cohort B (non-users) on demographics, HbA1c, BMI, and MELD-Na scores. The primary endpoint was incident HCC, and secondary endpoints were incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. We employed a 3-month lag period to mitigate immortal time bias. Time-to-event outcomes were assessed via Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Sensitivity & subgroup analyses were performed to confirm robustness across non-metabolic etiologies. Results: After matching, 592,718 patients were analyzed (296,359 per cohort). Median follow-up was 2,450 days for GLP-1RA users vs 2,114 days for non-users. GLP-1RA use was associated with a 73% reduction in incident HCC (140/296,345 events vs 432/296,198) [HR 0.271 (0.224-0.328)], (NNT=1,015). Notably, the protective effect was most pronounced in non-diabetics [HR 0.179 (0.140-0.229)] and lean patients (BMI < 29) [HR 0.161 (0.103-0.252)]. Risk reductions were sustained across all etiologies, including alcohol liver disease (HR 0.379), cirrhosis (HR 0.456), chronic viral hepatitis (HR 0.477), and MASLD (HR 0.605). GLP-1RA use was associated with a significant increase in GI adverse events. Conclusions: GLP-1RA use was associated with a 73% reduction in incident HCC, consistent across subgroups. The enhanced benefit in non-diabetic and lean cohorts suggests a direct anti-neoplastic mechanism independent of weight loss or glycemic control. The NNT of 1,015 highlights the substantial public health impact of GLP-1RA therapy in preventing a high-mortality malignancy. These findings warrant prospective validation.