Weight loss drugs could boost survival chances for breast cancer patients and reduce risk of disease returning among obese patients

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Researchers said a type of weight loss drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) – such as Mounjaro and Wegovy – "may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control".

Experts led by academics from the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre in the US said that patients with breast cancer who also live with obesity or have type 2 diabetes have poor survival rates.

They said that GLP-1s are known to tackle both medical issues, but their links with breast cancer survival and whether or not the disease returns "remain unclear".

They set out to examine the link between the drugs and survival and recurrence rates among breast cancer patients with an average age of 69 over a ten-year period.

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In the new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the research team examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.

The analysis included a comparison of 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, GLP-1s.

GLP-1s appeared to carry a 65% reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the ten-year follow up period, the authors said.

Use of the drugs was also linked to 56% reduced risk of the disease returning – also known as recurrence-free survival.

"This study suggests that GLP-1 RAs may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer," the authors wrote.

They said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.

In a linked commentary, Dr Richard Wender, from the University of Pennsylvania in the US, said that the findings were "striking".

All-cause mortality was approximately 60% lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users," he wrote.

While he said that many important questions remain unanswered due to the nature of the study, he concluded: "GLP-1 RA medications maybe the most promising approach to preventing and treating cancers within reach.

"Do not hesitate to prescribe the medications when an indication exists and follow research findings as they emerge."

Academics said the findings are "promising" but more work is needed before changing treatment practise for patients with breast cancer.

Dr Simon Vincent, chief scientific officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: "We know that people living with obesity are less likely to survive breast cancer and there is some evidence that type 2 diabetes can impact breast cancer risk and survival too.

"So we need to understand how best to treat these conditions when someone has them all at the same time.

"While this US-based retrospective study doesn’t answer the question of whether weight-loss medications can directly reduce breast cancer recurrence and deaths, it highlights that this area is worth researching further.

"In this study, the researchers were looking at deaths from all causes, not just from breast cancer.

"And although we know what weight-loss and type 2 diabetes drugs the women were prescribed, we don’t know whether they took the medication, how long they took it for, and if they made any other lifestyle changes.

"We also don’t know how women’s weight changed over time, so we can’t draw any firm conclusions about the cause and effect.

"With the growing use and popularity of weight-loss drugs, we urgently need more research to understand if, and how, these medications could benefit people with breast cancer – whether they have a long-lasting effect and if they can reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back and spreading as well as reducing breast cancer deaths."