Weight-loss drugs can cut breast cancer risk by up to 30%, studies suggest

One analysis found those who took GLP-1 medications were 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those not taking weight-loss drugs. File photo

Weight-loss drugs can cut the risk of developing or dying from cancer by 30%, doctors have said.

Millions of people already use the drugs to treat obesity. Now a series of studies presented at the world’s largest oncology conference suggest the drugs could play a role in preventing and treating cancer.

One analysis found those who took GLP-1 medications were 30% less likely to develop breast cancer, the world’s most common form of the disease, compared with those not taking weight-loss drugs.

A second study found adding weight-loss drugs to standard treatment for breast cancer reduced the risk of patients dying from the disease by 30%.

A third piece of research, in patients with breast, lung, bowel or liver cancer, found those on weight-loss drugs were up to 50% less likely to have their disease spread. The findings were shared at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago.

GLP‑1 medications are a class of drugs that mimic a natural hormone in the body called glucagon‑like peptide‑1, which helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. Originally used to treat type 2 diabetes, they are now also widely used for weight management.

Study details

The first study, a retrospective analysis of 110,000 women aged between 45 and 80, found those who took GLP-1 medications were 30% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not.

The findings were presented by Dr Elizabeth McDonald, a professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania and a breast radiologist at the Abramson Cancer Center.

She said: “While our study was observational and does not definitively confirm an association between GLP-1 medications and reduced breast cancer incidence, it does add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that it’s worth investigating these weight-loss drugs as potential cancer prevention tools."

Researchers have also long suspected that low-grade inflammation may play a role in breast cancer development. GLP-1s reduce systemic inflammation via different pathways and have other metabolic and epigenetic effects that could inhibit tumour growth.

The second study, involving 27,000 breast cancer patients, was led by IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori Dino Amadori, a cancer centre in Meldola, Italy. Adding weight-loss drugs to standard treatment was associated with a 30% reduced risk of death, researchers found.

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The third study, involving 12,000 cancer patients and led by the Cleveland Clinic, found that in lung, breast, bowel and liver cancer, people who took weight-loss drugs were 38% to 50% less likely to develop stage-four forms of the disease than people who did not.

Dr Eleonora Teplinsky, the head of breast and gynaecologic medical oncology at Valley Health System in New Jersey said the evidence was not clear yet as to whether the potential benefits of weight-loss drugs in the fight against cancer were just as a result of weight loss or due to other factors.

“I think there is enough data to show there is clearly some impact on either cancer risk or the risk of recurrence, but we haven’t yet defined it exactly,” she said. “We need to do more studies putting patients on them and seeing what happens.

The Guardian