Context: Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a gastrointestinal hormone with intestinotrophic and anti-apoptotic effects. The hormone's therapeutic potential in intestinal diseases and relation to intestinal neoplasia have raised great interest among researchers. This paper reviews and discusses published experimental and clinical studies concerning the growth-stimulating and anti-apoptotic effects of GLP-2 in relation to intestinal neoplasia.

Evidence acquisition: The data used in this narrative review were collected through literature research in PubMed using English keywords. All studies to date examining GLP-2's relation to intestinal neoplasms have been reviewed in this article, as the studies on the matter are sparse.

Evidence synthesis: GLP-2 has been found to stimulate intestinal growth through secondary mediators and through the involvement of Akt phosphorylation. Studies on rodents have shown that exogenously administered GLP-2 increases the growth and incidence of adenomas in the colon, suggesting that GLP-2 may play a significant role in the progression of intestinal tumours. Clinical studies have found that exogenous GLP-2 treatment is well-tolerated for up to 30 months, but the tolerability for even longer periods of treatment has not been examined.

Conclusion: Exogenous GLP-2 is currently available as teduglutide for the treatment of short bowel syndrome. However, the association between exogenous GLP-2 treatment and intestinal neoplasia in humans has not been fully identified. This leads to a cause for concern regarding the later risk of the development or progression of intestinal tumours with long-term GLP-2 treatment. Therefore, further research regarding GLP-2's potential relation to intestinal cancers is needed.