As GLP-1 medications continue reshaping the treatment of obesity and diabetes, researchers are also investigating whether the drugs could influence cancer risk and outcomes.The American Association for Cancer Research's 2026 Cancer Progress Report, released earlier this month, noted that obesity is a major risk factor for many cancers.As glucagon-like peptide-1 medications – including semaglutides like Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatides like Mounjaro and Zepbound – are known to cause substantial weight loss and improve metabolic health, they have attracted significant interest among cancer researchers.POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS MAY HELP PROTECT AGAINST A DEADLY DISEASE, DOCTOR SAYSWhile the AACR report cited studies suggesting GLP-1 medications may reduce the risk of certain cancers, it emphasized that the overall evidence is mixed and more research is needed."Randomized clinical trials remain the gold standard ...however, such trials have not yet been conducted specifically to assess cancer outcomes associated with GLP-1 RA use," the report stated.As GLP-1 medications continue reshaping the treatment of obesity and diabetes, researchers are also investigating whether the drugs could influence cancer risk and outcomes.
(iStock)Sai Yendamuri, M.D., a thoracic surgeon at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, reiterated that obesity is a leading cause of cancer, second to smoking.Additional risk factors include alcohol and poor nutrition, he noted, "which are all layered into obesity.""So if obesity is related to cancer – both in terms of causing it and increasing its progression – the logical question is, would a drug that decreases obesity have an impact?" the doctor, who was not associated with the AACR report, said in an interview with Fox News Digital.OZEMPIC-STYLE DRUGS LINKED TO MAJOR SLOWDOWN IN CANCER SPREAD, NEW STUDY FINDSThere are "many lines of evidence" that suggest this would be the case, Yendamuri suggested."For examp...