Ozempic and related weight-loss medication had been linked to a hanging 30% discount in breast most cancers threat in a research of greater than 110,000 ladies.
Common weight-loss and diabetes drugs equivalent to Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound could provide an sudden profit past serving to individuals shed pounds. A big new research discovered that ladies taking these medication had been considerably much less prone to develop breast most cancers than ladies who weren’t utilizing them.
The analysis, offered on the 2026 American Society of Scientific Oncology (ASCO) Annual Assembly and revealed in JCO Oncology Apply, analyzed well being information from greater than 110,000 ladies. Researchers discovered that ladies taking GLP-1 drugs, a category of medicine that features semaglutide (the lively ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) and related remedies, had a few 30% decrease threat of creating breast most cancers.
“Whereas our research was observational and doesn’t definitively affirm an affiliation between GLP-1 drugs and diminished breast most cancers incidence, it does add to the rising physique of proof suggesting that it is price investigating these weight-loss medication as potential most cancers prevention instruments,” mentioned Elizabeth McDonald, MD, PhD, a professor of Radiology on the College of Pennsylvania Perelman College of Drugs and a training breast radiologist at Penn’s Abramson Most cancers Heart.
Ozempic and Related Medication Draw Curiosity From Most cancers Researchers
GLP-1 drugs mimic a naturally occurring hormone referred to as glucagon-like peptide-1, which helps regulate blood sugar and urge for food. Medication on this class had been initially developed for sort 2 diabetes however have grow to be family names due to their effectiveness for weight reduction.
Ozempic and Wegovy include semaglutide, whereas Mounjaro and Zepbound use a associated treatment referred to as tirzepatide. Collectively, these medication at the moment are utilized by hundreds of thousands of People.
Researchers have more and more grow to be enthusiastic about whether or not these drugs may also have an effect on most cancers threat. A number of current observational research have linked GLP-1 medication to decrease charges of sure cancers or improved outcomes amongst most cancers survivors. Nevertheless, researchers stress that potential scientific trials, thought of the gold normal of medical analysis, are nonetheless wanted.
McDonald and her colleagues are at present working to launch a multisite scientific trial to find out whether or not GLP-1 drugs will help forestall breast most cancers in ladies at elevated threat, together with some with a historical past of the illness.
“GLP-1 drugs are intriguing from a most cancers analysis perspective as a result of they weren’t designed for most cancers remedy, however they do have an effect on many various targets and pathways related to most cancers improvement, so we’re keen to check them on this context,” McDonald mentioned.
Research of Extra Than 110,000 Ladies Finds Decrease Breast Most cancers Charges
The researchers examined digital well being information from 111,646 ladies between the ages of 45 and 80 who had a physique mass index (BMI) of 25 or increased and underwent breast imaging by way of Penn Drugs between January 2022 and June 2025.
Amongst these ladies, 15,264 (13.7 p.c) had documented prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs, whereas 96,382 (86.3 p.c) had no documented publicity to the medication.
The crew regarded for brand new breast most cancers diagnoses in two teams. The primary included all the research inhabitants. The second included a smaller matched cohort of 30,528 ladies. In that evaluation, every lady taking a GLP-1 drug was paired with a nonuser who shared related traits, together with age, race, ethnicity, BMI, breast density, and diabetes standing.
The findings had been constant throughout each teams. Within the full research inhabitants, GLP-1 customers had 35.1 p.c decrease odds of creating breast most cancers. Within the matched evaluation, the discount was 30.5 p.c.
The research didn’t account for the particular sort of GLP-1 treatment used, how lengthy members took the medication, inherited genetic threat elements, or the stage and sort of most cancers identified. Researchers plan extra analyses to discover a few of these questions.
Why Would possibly Ozempic and Different GLP-1 Medication Have an effect on Most cancers Threat?
Sustaining a wholesome weight has lengthy been thought of an essential a part of breast most cancers prevention as a result of extra physique weight, particularly after menopause, is a well-established threat issue.
As a result of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound can produce substantial weight reduction, a number of the noticed profit could also be linked to improved weight administration. Nevertheless, researchers consider different organic results is also concerned.
Scientists have lengthy suspected that continual low-grade irritation contributes to most cancers improvement. GLP-1 drugs scale back irritation by way of a number of pathways and in addition affect metabolism and epigenetic processes that assist regulate gene exercise. Researchers at present consider this mix of results could assist sluggish or forestall tumor formation.
Trying to find Higher Methods to Forestall Breast Most cancers
Present choices for decreasing breast most cancers threat stay restricted.
Past common screening with mammography or MRI, some individuals with inherited genetic mutations that vastly enhance breast most cancers threat select preventive surgical procedure, together with prophylactic mastectomy.
Tamoxifen can considerably scale back breast most cancers incidence in high-risk ladies, however issues about uncomfortable side effects have restricted its use amongst many eligible sufferers.
As a result of GLP-1 drugs equivalent to Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are already broadly prescribed, researchers see them as a doubtlessly promising avenue for future most cancers prevention analysis.
“Finally, we need to discover higher choices to forestall breast most cancers,” McDonald mentioned. “It has been encouraging to see the survival charges for breast most cancers enhance over current a long time, and we might like to see the identical positive factors in prevention.”
Reference: “GLP-1 Agonists Are Related With a Important Discount in Breast Most cancers Incidence in Ladies” by Elizabeth S. McDonald, Laura B. Gillis, Peter Gabriel, Kham Xapakdy, Anthony Younger, Abigail Doucette, Mitchell D. Schnall, John B. Buse and Etta D. Pisano, 2 June 2026, JCO Oncology Apply.
DOI: 10.1200/OP-26-00485
The research was supported by the American Faculty of Radiology Heart for Analysis and Innovation, the Pennsylvania Breast Most cancers Coalition, and the Abramson Most cancers Heart.
