According to new research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, GLP-1 class weight-loss medications may significantly reduce the risk of cancer development and related mortality. Doctors state that these drugs, which were initially developed to treat diabetes and are now used by millions of people to combat obesity, are emerging as a powerful new preventive tool in oncology.
The first large-scale retrospective analysis, presented by Professor Elizabeth McDonald of the University of Pennsylvania and involving 110,000 women, showed that individuals receiving GLP-1 medications had a 30% lower probability of developing breast cancer compared to those who did not use these drugs. According to Dr. McDonald, despite the observational nature of the data, these findings provide a solid foundation for weight-management drugs to be studied in detail within the context of cancer prevention.
A second study, conducted by the Italian Cancer Center (IRCCS) and involving 27,000 patients, confirmed that combining weight-loss medications with standard breast cancer therapy reduces the risk of patient mortality by an additional 30%. These findings indicate that the medications also possess a supportive effect during the treatment process.
A third paper, prepared based on data from 12,000 patients at the Cleveland Clinic, revealed that the use of GLP-1 drugs in individuals with breast, lung, colorectal, and liver cancers reduces the risk of progression to stage IV disease and metastasis by 38% to 50%. This result is highly significant, as preventing metastasis is a primary condition for survival in oncology.
Scientists explain that the reason for this therapeutic effect is not solely weight loss, even though excess weight in the postmenopausal period is a known risk factor for breast cancer. GLP-1 receptor agonists actively suppress systemic inflammatory processes in the body, modulate the immune system, and induce specific metabolic and epigenetic changes that directly inhibit the growth of tumor cells.
Independent experts, including oncologist Marcin Chwistek from Philadelphia, emphasize that these medications have never been merely blood-sugar-lowering agents. Their broad anti-inflammatory properties have long given doctors reason to suspect that the drugs have a much larger impact on various chronic pathologies, including cancer.
