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Review
. 2025 May 6;17(9):1576.
doi: 10.3390/cancers17091576.

May Patients Receiving GLP-1 Agonists Be at Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness and Progression?

Julia Drewa  1 , Katarzyna Lazar-Juszczak  2 , Jan Adamowicz  1 , Kajetan Juszczak  1
Affiliations
Review

May Patients Receiving GLP-1 Agonists Be at Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness and Progression?

Julia Drewa et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Introduction: GLP-1 receptor agonists are valuable therapeutic agents for managing obesity and type 2 diabetes. The link between prostate cancer and obesity was described. The modulation of incretin hormone-dependent pathways may decrease the prostate cancer aggressiveness and progression.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review and summarize the literature on the role of GLP-1 agonists in prostate cancer.

Material & methods: We performed a scoping literature review of PubMed from January 2002 to February 2025. Search terms included "glucagon-peptide like 1", "incretin hormone", "GLP-1 receptor agonist", and "prostate cancer". Secondary search involved reference lists of eligible articles. The key criterion was to identify studies that included GLP-1 receptor, incretin hormones, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and their role in prostate cancer development.

Results: 77 publications were selected for inclusion in this review. The studies contained in publications allowed us to summarize the data on the role of GLP-1 receptor and it's agonists in prostate cancer biology and development. The following review aims to discuss and provide information about the role of incretin hormones in prostate cancer pathogenesis and its clinical implication in patients with prostate cancer.

Conclusion: Incretin hormone-dependent pathways play an important role in prostate cancer pathogenesis. Moreover, GLP-1 receptor agonists seems to be a promising therapeutical agents when it comes to finding new therapies in patients with more aggressive and/or advanced stages of prostate cancer.

Keywords: GIP; GLP-1; agonists; obesity; pathogenesis; prostate cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Role of GLP-1 receptors in prostate cancer carcinogenesis (anti-tumorigenic effect) via mTOR-dependent signaling pathway. GLP-1 receptors are expressed in human prostate tissues and cell lines. GLP-1 receptor agonists increase AMPK phosphorylation, leading to a decrement in the levels of p-mTOR 9. This promotes an anti-tumorigenic effect through suppression of cancer cell proliferation and invasion. Abbreviations: GLP-1—glucagon-like peptide 1, R—receptor, GIP—glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, AMPK—5′AMP-activated protein kinase, mTOR—mechanistic target of rapamycin, PKA—phosphokinase A, cAMP—cyclic adenosine monophosphate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Role of GLP-1 receptors in prostate cancer carcinogenesis via ERK-dependent signaling pathway. Prostate cancer cells have positive expression of GLP-1 receptors. Several signaling pathways via GLP-1 receptors (e.g., ERK-MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR) regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis (see also Figure 1). CXCR7 promotes the activation of ERK1/2, stimulating the process of invasion and migration of cancer cells. Abbreviations: GLP-1—glucagon-like peptide 1, R—receptor, GIP—glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, ERK—extracellular signal-regulated kinase, CXCL—ligand of chemokine receptor, CXCR—chemokine receptor CXCR, cAMP—cyclic adenosine monophosphate.
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