A growing body of evidence suggests that popular GLP-1 drugs, widely used for weight loss and diabetes, can provide protection against many types of cancer, Reuters reported.

More than two dozen studies presented over the past few days at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago found that patients taking the drugs showed lower risks of developing cancer and disease progression, better survival, and ​improved responses to some treatments, compared with people who were not taking the GLP-1s.

The studies included analyses of clinical records and real-world databases tracking patients taking Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO), Wegovy ‌or Ozempic, Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N), Zepbound or Mounjaro, or older GLP-1 treatments.

The studies were not designed to show how or why GLP-1 use might affect cancer treatment. But researchers believe by reducing inflammation, regulating insulin signaling and possibly engaging directly with tumor biology, they may contribute to a protective effect in cancer patients.

“Chronic inflammation is a fundamental biological pathway involved in the development and progression of many cancers,” said Dr. Elizabeth Susan McDonald of the University of Pennsylvania.

McDonald on Tuesday reported ​on a study of 110,000 women, showing those who took GLP-1 medications were up to 35% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not.

While obesity itself is a ​known risk factor for certain cancers, the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP-1s will likely prove to have a role in cancer prevention, McDonald said.

GLP-1 drugs include semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus; tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, as well as Lilly’s Trulicity, or dulaglutide, and Novo’s older liraglutide, sold as ​Saxenda and Victoza.

Some of the strongest signals of benefit came from a study of more than 12,000 patients that showed GLP-1 use was associated with markedly lower odds of cancers advancing to metastatic disease, particularly ​in lung, breast, colorectal and liver cancers.

People with those cancers who took liraglutide, pramlintide, dulaglutide, tirzepatide, lixisenatide, or semaglutide were 38% to 50% less likely to see the disease spread than people who took drugs from a different class of diabetes medicines known as gliptins.

Reduced cancer incidence, longer survival, and fewer metastases were also seen with GLP-1 use in patients with endometrial, bladder and prostate cancers, as well as in those with small intestine neoplasms and blood cancers, multiple studies ​found.

A separate analysis of patients treated at U.S. community oncology practices found GLP-1 use was associated with significantly better overall survival across six tumor types – breast, prostate, colorectal, lung, liver and kidney – with a ​roughly one-third reduction in the risk of death.

Researchers also reported that cancer patients receiving immunotherapies such as Merck’s (MRK.N), Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s (BMY.N), Opdivo or Yervoy appeared to fare better when they were taking GLP-1 drugs, suggesting a ‌possible interaction ⁠with the immune system.

GLP-1 users with type 2 diabetes and stage 3 kidney disease had substantially lower mortality and lower rates of several malignancies, particularly lung, colorectal, and hepatocellular cancers, than non-users, read the report.

While GLP-1 medications carry a warning regarding a possible association with a type of thyroid cancer based on rodent studies, researchers say the recent findings point to a potential beneficial class effect across tumor types, rather than benefits confined to a small subset of cancers.

The drugs, originally designed to treat diabetes and found to promote weight loss, have also shown benefits for heart risks, sleep apnea and alcohol and substance abuse.

“These drugs have never been just glucose-lowering agents,” ​Dr. Marcin Chwistek of the Fox Chase Cancer ​Center in Philadelphia said at an ASCO press ⁠briefing.

Researchers cautioned that nearly all of the data presented were from observational studies, raising the risk of confounding factors. Patients prescribed GLP-1 drugs may differ in important ways, including overall health, access to care and concurrent treatments, that could influence outcomes.

While the various studies tried to account for those differences, none ​can prove the drugs improve cancer outcomes. Experts said trials in which GLP-1s are added to standard treatment in some cancer patients but not ​others are needed to establish ⁠clear anti-cancer benefits. Some trials are already being planned.

The apparent cancer benefits were not clearly tied to the drugs’ weight-loss effects, suggesting that alone does not explain the findings, Reuters reported.

A seven-year study with nearly 120,000 participants found GLP-1s were associated with lower rates of new prostate cancer diagnoses in high-risk men, compared to drugs such as Merck’s Propecia and GSK’s (GSK.L), Avodart, which are used to shrink enlarged prostate glands.

GLP-1 users had a “very small” reduction in ⁠body weight at ​one year, said Dr. Colton Jones of the University of Texas San Antonio Mays Cancer Center who presented the study ​at ASCO.

“We hypothesize that both weight loss and a direct anti-cancer effect and anti-inflammatory effect may be driving the associations observed in our study,” Jones said.

ASCO expert Chwistek said anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties have long suggested broader effects of GLP-1s.

Referring to one of ​the largest studies, Chwistek said: “What’s new here is the consistency across tumor types, and data this large and this consistent warrant a prospective randomized trial.”

Iran has restored access to the global internet after months of severe restrictions imposed during nationwide unrest earlier this year and later intensified during the conflict involving the United States and Israel, according to Iranian semi-official media reports.

Tasnim news agency reported Tuesday that authorities had begun lifting restrictions following instructions from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to return internet access to conditions that existed before January 2026.

Under the latest changes, users across Iran can once again access international websites through both fixed broadband and mobile internet networks. Services including FTTH, VDSL and ADSL connections have reportedly resumed without the extensive restrictions that had disrupted online access for months.

Iran imposed a near-total internet shutdown during major protests on January 8 and 9, after widespread demonstrations erupted over worsening economic conditions and the rapid depreciation of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

Authorities later tightened restrictions further following military tensions and conflict involving the US and Israel beginning on February 28.

During that period, internet connectivity inside the country became increasingly limited, with many users relying heavily on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access foreign websites and social media platforms.

Although domestic online services, banking systems and local Iranian platforms continued operating during much of the disruption, access to the wider global internet remained unstable and heavily filtered.

Major international platforms including YouTube and X remain blocked in Iran, meaning many users are still dependent on VPN services despite the restoration of broader internet access.

The restrictions had a major impact on businesses, e-commerce activity, media access and communication with the outside world. Iranian companies and freelancers that rely on international platforms reportedly faced months of disruption, while ordinary users struggled with slow connections and inconsistent access to foreign websites.

Iranian authorities said more than 3,100 people were killed during the unrest, while some human rights groups estimated the death toll could be significantly higher.

Officials in Tehran have acknowledged growing public frustration over economic pressures but accused the United States and Israel of attempting to exploit the unrest through sanctions, political pressure and efforts aimed at destabilizing the country.

Analysts previously noted that Iran’s measures did not fully shut down all internet infrastructure nationwide. Instead, authorities largely restricted access to the international internet while maintaining many domestic digital services through the country’s national information network system.

The restoration of broader internet access is expected to ease pressure on businesses and improve communications, though digital restrictions and censorship measures on several major global platforms remain in place.

Instagram has disabled its end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) direct messaging feature worldwide, marking a major reversal by parent company Meta on its previous commitment to stronger user privacy protections.

The move means Instagram users can no longer send ultra-private direct messages protected by E2EE — a security system that allows only the sender and recipient to read messages. Without the feature, Instagram can technically access the content of direct messages, including photos, videos and voice notes.

Meta had previously promoted encryption as “the future is private.” In 2019, CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to expand the technology across the company’s platforms.

Facebook Messenger adopted E2EE in 2023, while Instagram introduced it as an optional feature with plans to make it standard.

However, Meta has now abandoned the wider Instagram rollout and updated the app’s terms in March to confirm encrypted messaging would no longer be supported after 8 May 2026.

Meta said the decision was based on low user adoption, though critics argue optional privacy tools often see limited use because users must manually activate them.

The move has divided opinion. Child protection groups, including the NSPCC, welcomed the change, saying encryption can make it harder to detect child grooming and abuse online.

Privacy advocates criticised the decision. Maya Thomas of Big Brother Watch warned the move weakens online privacy protections and could increase pressure on other social media companies to scale back encryption.

End-to-end encryption remains standard on platforms including WhatsApp, Signal, Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages, while other platforms continue to take mixed approaches to private messaging.