GLP-1 Agonist Use Among Men with Localized Prostate Cancer: A Narrative Review and Rationale for Prospective Clinical Trials

In summary, we know that many men with localized prostate cancer face a dual risk of morbidity and death, both from comorbidities (including risk of cardiovascular disease and related events) or from disease progression. It's thus well established that interventions that benefit men's longevity from the perspective of things like cardiovascular disease risk, weight, and other comorbidity management are very likely to improve their lives. However, these men are also at risk of prostate cancer progression, and it is less established that modification of risk factors for other diseases would offer the potential to slow the progression of disease or decrease the risk of prostate cancer recurrence (even though many of these comorbidities are associated with development of more aggressive disease).

The blockbuster weight loss medications, termed "GLP-1 agonists" based on a shared mechanism of action, are revolutionizing medically-supported weight loss and comorbidity management. However, it is less well known that evidence, including epidemiologic studies and basic research, suggests that medications in this class may decrease the risk of prostate cancer diagnosis.

In this review, we highlight this evidence, ultimately outlining future directions that will be taken by our group (and hopefully others) to define the effects of GLP-1 agonist use within the context of a previously diagnosed prostate cancer, hopefully elucidating oncologic effects that could impact the lives of men diagnosed with localized disease.

Written by: Andrew Fang,¹ Daniel E. Frigo,¹ Andrew Hahn,¹ Zayd Razouki,¹ Jessica Hwang,¹ Efstratios Koutroumpakis,¹ Tarek Lawen,¹ Matthew Smith,¹ Jill Hamilton-Reeves,² John DiGiovanni,³ Noel Higgason,¹ Rebekka S. Garcia,¹ Brian F. Chapin,¹ Curtis Pettaway,¹ Lisly Chery,¹ Patricia Troncoso,¹ Christopher Logothetis,¹ Carrie R. Daniel,¹ Peng Wei,¹ Justin R. Gregg,¹

MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston, TX.
The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS.
The University of Texas College of Pharmacy, Austin, TX.

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