In a study presented at ENDO 2025, the anti-obesity drug tirzepatide demonstrated significant weight loss in obese mice alongside a marked decrease in breast cancer tumor growth. The findings link reduced body fat to improved cancer outcomes, indicating that next-generation weight-loss medications may offer unexpected advantages beyond metabolic health. Traditional weight loss methods often prove ineffective, whereas therapies targeting GLP-1 and GIP receptors, like tirzepatide, may reshape treatment approaches to obesity-related cancers.
The anti-obesity medication tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, reduced obesity-associated breast cancer growth in a mouse model.
Obesity is a significant risk factor for breast cancer, and while it is very preliminary data, our studies in mice suggest that these new anti-obesity drugs may be a way to reduce obesity-associated breast cancer risk or improve outcomes.
Existing research has shown that having obesity can lead to worse breast cancer outcomes compared to those who do not have obesity, and weight loss can improve outcomes.
Kucinskas and colleagues leveraged tirzepatide, one of a new class of effective anti-obesity medications that target GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptors.
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