Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist use and risk of thyroid cancer: Scandinavian cohort study
Pasternak B, Wintzell V, Hviid A, et al. BMJ 2024;385:e078225.
What it found
In Denmark, Norway and Sweden (2007-21), 145,410 people starting a GLP-1 receptor agonist were compared with 291,667 starting a DPP-4 inhibitor. Thyroid cancer rates were similar (1.33 vs 1.46 per 10,000 person-years; hazard ratio 0.93). The estimate for medullary thyroid cancer was imprecise (hazard ratio 1.19, wide confidence interval).
Limitations
Observational, with mean follow-up of 3.9 years, which may be too short for slow-growing cancers. Covers the drug class, not semaglutide alone. Too few medullary cancers for a firm conclusion.
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