Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist drugs (GLP-1s) such as Wegovy and Zepbound, have become game-changers in the world of weight-loss drugs. By reducing appetite and slowing down the rate at which food moves from the stomach to the intestines, GLP-1s have helped thousands of people lose significant amounts of weight over the past few years.
The drugs do come with a significant caveat, however: The Food and Drug Administration advises patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer to avoid the medications.
What exactly is the connection between GLP-1s and thyroid cancer? For answers, we turned to University of Colorado Cancer Center member Bryan Haugen, MD, professor of endocrinology, metabolism, and diabetes in the Department of Medicine at the CU School of Medicine. Haugen will discuss the GLP-1-thyroid cancer link in a review of clinical topics that he plans to present at the annual American Thyroid Association meeting in September.