Weekly Dose Podcast: Depression Risk After Chronic Illness, Vaginal Estradiol Safety, GLP-1 Updates, Cancer Risk Reduction, and Cardiovascular Outcomes

September 24, 2025

Today's episode covers depression risk after chronic illness, vaginal estradiol safety, GLP-1 updates, cancer risk, and cardiovascular outcomes.

The newest episode of the Weekly Dose podcast from Patient Care® is live, offering a concise roundup of 5 leading clinical updates for primary care physicians. Below, the episode begins with a nationwide analysis showing that individuals newly diagnosed with a chronic medical condition face more than twice the risk of developing major depressive disorder compared with those without such conditions, with the highest risk occurring in the first month following diagnosis.

The discussion then turns to data from a large case-control study finding that vaginal estradiol use was not associated with an increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in women with a history of stroke, providing reassurance for symptom management in this population.

Also included is the US approval and launch of the first generic version of liraglutide injection for weight loss, expanding access to GLP-1 therapy for adults and adolescents with obesity. Additional evidence links GLP-1 receptor agonist use to a lower overall incidence of cancer, particularly endometrial, ovarian, and meningioma cancers.

The episode concludes with results from the STEER real-world study, which found that semaglutide was associated with lower rates of major adverse cardiovascular events compared with tirzepatide among adults with obesity and established cardiovascular disease.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

Mental Health Risks After Chronic Illness Diagnosis (00:00:27) Study shows depression risk spikes after chronic condition diagnosis, especially in first month and among older adults.

Vaginal Estradiol Safety in Women with Prior Stroke (00:01:06) Case-control study finds vaginal estradiol does not increase recurrent ischemic stroke risk in postmenopausal women.

Approval of Generic Liraglutide for Obesity (00:01:36) First generic liraglutide approved in US, expanding access to GLP-1 therapy for weight management in adults and adolescents.

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Cancer Risk (00:02:15) Large cohort study links GLP-1 use to lower overall cancer risk, especially endometrial and ovarian, but notes possible kidney cancer trend.

Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide for Cardiovascular Outcomes (00:03:01) Real-world data: semaglutide users with obesity and CVD have lower major cardiovascular event risk than tirzepatide users.

Editor's note: Episode timestamps produced using AI tools.

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