Weight Loss Injections Lower Cancer Risk

A new study from Case Western Reserve University seems to confirm previous research which showed that the new class of weight loss drugs called GLP-1 agonists could lower cancer risk. This large study had over 34,000 patients which enhances its scientific validity. The results indicated that Semaglutide – brand names Ozempic and Wegovy– might not only cut cancer risk but they might actually shrink tumors that had already developed.

Co-authors of the study, Drs Cindy Lin and Benjamin Liu, say: “Our findings are significant in that they could change the paradigm of obesity management by suggesting early intervention with GLP-1 RAs could delay or prevent obesity-related cancer development.”  They added that although the mechanisms have not been clearly established there could be a number of ways that these medications cut cancer risk, beyond the reduced risk that comes from the weight loss accomplished by taking the medications.  

 These findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, which  is the largest cancer conference in the world. Another study presented at the conference showed that these new weight loss medications may reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in those who had a previous diagnosis of breast cancer and were cancer free. Doctors  from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York say these medications may become a “new tool” in the fight against recurrence of cancer in patients.

Another study presented at this same conference out of Yale University, also suggested that these medications may cut the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients after their disease had been eradicated. Speaking in Chicago at the meeting, Dr Mitchell Lazar, the director of the institute for diabetes, obesity and metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania said: “GLP-1 based therapies are highly effective at producing weight loss, and thus one of the fundamental mechanisms by which they improve cancer outcomes is via the impressive weight loss that they produce. Obesity is a risk factor for nearly all cancers, in both men and women. Thus the revolution in the medical treatment of obesity has enormous potential to prevent new cancers, reduce the severity and growth rate of existing tumours, and synergise with new cancer-specific therapies.”

Dr Jennifer Ligibel, a physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute , said: “These are exciting, preliminary findings of a link between use of GLP-1 RAs and cancer risk. They added to previous work suggesting the drugs could reduce cancer risk.”

OTHER NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS GLP-1 MEDS CANCER PREVENTION ABILITY

LP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic May Reduce Risk of These 10 Cancers  

Just published in  on Pinterest the journal of the American Medical AssociationTrusted Source is the evidence that the use of semaglutide medications, decreased the risk of developing 10 of the 13 cancers which have been previously linked to obesity.The researchers studied 13 cancers linked to obesity. They found that people on semaglutide had a decreased risk of developing 10 of these cancers.

Yoni Resnick, PharmD, is the director of pharmacy clinical services with New England Cancer Specialists. He says, 

“It’s exciting to see … potentially reducing the risk of some cancers that have historically been statistically related to obesity.” 

Up to 65% Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers Were Found:

The research showed that people with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy)  reduced their risk of multiple cancers as follows:

  • 65% reduced risk of gallbladder cancer
  • 63% reduced risk of meningioma
  • 59% reduced risk of pancreatic cancer
  • 53% reduced risk of a type of liver cancer
  • 48% reduced risk of ovarian cancer
  • 46% reduced risk of colorectal cancer
  • 41% reduced risk of multiple myeloma
  • 40% reduced risk of esophageal cancer
  • 26% reduced risk of endometrial cancer
  • 24% reduced risk of kidney cancer.
  • However, semaglutide was not linked to a significantly reduced risk of developing thyroidstomach, or breast cancer.(other research does seem to show breast cancer risk is reduced)
  • The researchers say that more research and clinical trials will be needed to further enhance the utility of these findings.
  • Jennie StanfordMD an obesity medicine physician for InteliHealth, says, “I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding the benefits of the GLP-1 receptor agonists. “As we learn more and more about what they’re able to do, I think we’ll be able to see possibilities for using them in dementia, in obesity-associated cancers and other medical problems that are linked back to the same underlying mechanism.” One of the study’s authors, Lindsey Wang commented on the very large cancer risk reduction of certain cancers. “Most notably” she says, “we saw a decrease [of] significant risk across most gastrointestinal cancers. So, that goes all the way from your esophagus down to your colon. This is pretty interesting because these cancers usually have a poor prognosis after you are diagnosed with it.”

study published last December 2023 showed a 50% reduced risk of bowel cancer in those with type 2 diabetes. researcher Dr Ligibel says,  “Individuals with diabetes who were prescribed a GLP-1 RA had a lower risk of colorectal cancer as compared with individuals who were not prescribed one of these drugs,” 

Dr Julie Gralow, the chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, says that it is not yet understood whether the benefits of weight-loss drugs in  cancer risk were a direct result of the weight loss – or whether there were other actions of the medications responsible. Investigation of this important question is sure to become a focus of cancer prevention research in the future. “The more we can do to reduce the risk factors and prevent cancer, the better. I do think that there are so many potential and already proven health benefits to these drugs, that it would be icing on the cake if we saw that they were also reducing cancers. I am very hopeful about overall improvements in health from this class of drugs.”

MORE STUDIES

According to a June 2024 article in The Telegraph, research suggests that weight-loss injections, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists (RA) or GLP-1 agonist drugs, could cut the risk of cancer by up to half. These medications are  currently approved to treat diabetes and obesity, but studies have found that they may also help prevent and treat cancer. These studies found that patients taking these drugs were 19% less likely to develop 13 obesity-related cancers, including breast, bowel, colorectal, liver, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer. The study also found that patients taking the drugs were half as likely to die over 15 years compared to those who were not taking them. 

Examples of GLP-1 drugs include semaglutide( Ozempic and Wegovy) , and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro and zepbond). 

THE FUTURE: GLP-1 drugs to combat cancer? 

These findings and studies , should their findings be confirmed by more research, may make a difference in oncology practices with high risk patient populations. group. GLP-1 medications are becoming a common topic of conversation among oncologists.“ Oncologist Dr. Resnick said. “By offering this type of weight reduction medication as compared to other types of medications… You’re reducing the risk for cancer, thus improving the overall health of the population, cutting healthcare costs, all of those well-known talking points.” “Obesity is the tobacco of our age when it comes to cancer risk,” he said. An estimated 40% of new cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are linked to excess weight, according to the CDC. 

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