Women Who Take Drugs Like Ozempic Have Lower Breast Cancer Risk: Study
Researchers found 30.5% lower breast cancer odds among matched GLP-1 users, but said the observational study cannot prove cause and effect.
- Women taking GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Wegovy showed 30% to 35% lower odds of developing breast cancer, according to a new University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine study published today.
- Researchers analyzed health records from more than 110,000 women aged 45 to 80 between 2022 and 2025, tracking 15,264 patients prescribed GLP-1 medications against a control group of 96,382 women.
- Lead investigator Elizabeth McDonald suggests the drugs may reduce systemic inflammation and help maintain healthy weight, factors researchers suspect influence tumor development. "GLP-1 medications are intriguing from a cancer research perspective because they weren't designed for cancer therapy," McDonald said.
- The study did not account for genetic risk factors or specific cancer stages at diagnosis, prompting researchers to establish a multi-site clinical trial to definitively assess whether GLP-1 drugs prevent breast cancer.
- Obesity remains a pervasive U.S. risk factor for breast cancer, and scientists hope these results could eventually offer high-risk patients an alternative to more invasive treatment methods like mastectomies.
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On the side of the avenues to be explored, very preliminary but encouraging data show a potential effect on cancer of popular anti-obesity medicines such as Ozempic or Wegovy Rendez
The Independent
The Independent (US)Women on GLP-1 drugs 30 percent less likely to develop breast cancer
About 42,140 women are expected to die from breast cancer in the U.S. this year
An observational study with about 112,000 patients has revealed that women who take GLP-1 drugs for diabetes or weight loss have a 30% lower chance of developing breast cancer than those who do not. This is evidenced by an investigation presented this Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which is also reported in JCO Oncology Practice magazine. GLP-1 drugs mimic a natural hormone of the body called peptide,…
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