AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 AbstractNov 9, 2026, 02:29 GMT

Drug choice linked to fewer deaths in prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists were linked to lower mortality than dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, with a hazard ratio—a relative risk measure—of 0.63.

Paper by Samuel Bennett, Gideon Wolf, Benjamin W. Mancini, +2Manu Murali Mysore · University of Maryland Medical Center · University of Maryland, Baltimore

Prostate cross-section with a dark tumor patch, surrounded by a larger blue-green group of figures, a smaller gray group, and matching hearts.

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Interventions

Studied:: Cohort study of men with prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes, 2 years
What changed:: Death from any cause was lower with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists than dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (hazard ratio 0.63)
The catch:: Differences in cancer burden, functional status, and drug selection could explain the mortality association
In the record:: The 1,399th paper on GLP-1 receptor agonists with results in people; 4,947 on record in all. Its result on mortality agrees with 202 of 224 other findings on record; 2 point the other way and 20 found no change.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Men with prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes were compared in an observational cohort study using electronic health records. Researchers matched 3,890 men starting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists with 3,890 starting dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, another diabetes drug class. Men started the drugs between 2018 and 2023. Outcomes were assessed from 30 days to two years after starting.

Starting the first drug class was associated with lower mortality from any cause. It was not associated with lower rates of heart attacks, strokes caused by blocked blood flow, or heart failure. Analyses restricted to men receiving androgen deprivation therapy, which lowers male sex hormones, also found the mortality association without lower rates of nonfatal cardiovascular events.

Why it matters

Cardiovascular risk in men with prostate cancer makes diabetes medication choices relevant to care for age-related diseases. The authors called for dedicated trials of these drugs in people with active cancer.

Caveats

Cancer burden, functional status and the reasons for choosing each drug may still have differed between groups and contributed to the mortality association. These conference-abstract findings concern men with both prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes.