Hsin-Ti (Cindy) Lin, MD, and Benjamin Liu, MD, both Residents at MetroHealth, were interviewed by National Public Radio's (NPR) health correspondent, Yuki Noguchi, about their research on the promise of GLP-1 agonists, a class of drugs now being used to treat diabetes and weight loss, for use in preventing cancers impacted by excess weight and obesity.
The co-author's recent study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in June 2024 showed both bariatric surgery and GLP-1 medications reduce the risk of 13 obesity-related cancers.
The cancer risk among bariatric surgery patients declined 22% over 10 years compared to people who received no treatment, however, cancer risk dropped by 39% in individuals taking GLP-1 medications.
“We think the protective effects of GLP-1s are probably multifactorial,” said Lin. “Part of it is weight [loss], but other factors may be contributing as well—better glycemic controls, anti-inflammatory effects.”
"More research is necessary and inevitable—especially studies looking at the newer weight-loss formulations of GLP-1 medications," explained Liu. He says he’s encouraged by the data so far. “It's very exciting to have, especially since it's more of a noninvasive strategy compared to bariatric surgery, and a lot more patients will be open to it.