A groundbreaking trial: New weight-loss drugs can help keep pounds away. Can they also help keep cancer at bay?
Medications such as Wegovy® and Zepbound® have revolutionized the management of being overweight or obese. Researchers are now exploring these drugs’ potential benefits for a range of other conditions—possibly even to help prevent a recurrence of cancer.
A first-of-its-kind study, funded by philanthropy and led by physician-researchers at Baylor Scott & White Health, will explore the hypothesis that the new weight loss drug, tirzepatide (also known by its brand name, Zepbound), could play a role in preventing breast cancer recurrence in patients who are obese or overweight. Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, the Celebrating Women Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Baylor Scott & White, serves as co-principal investigator of the study, along with co-principal investigator Ronan Kelly, MD, director of oncology, Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and chief of oncology, North Texas Division, Baylor Scott & White.
Studies show that there are multiple pathways linking obesity to breast cancer, and that weight gain after diagnosis increases breast cancer mortality. However, a study of more than 180,000 women over the age of 50 showed that sustained weight loss is linked to a lower risk of developing breast cancer.
In this new trial at Baylor Scott & White, researchers are studying if tirzepatide-induced weight loss will prevent the development of metastatic disease within two years following detection of circulating tumor DNA (or “ctDNA”) in patients’ blood. ctDNA is a critical tool in detecting molecular/microscopic residual disease, as a decrease in the amount of ctDNA suggests successful treatment of microscopic disease.
As Celebrating Women commemorates its 25th anniversary luncheon, funds raised continue to empower research leading to new promises in the identification and treatment of breast cancer, bringing the community together around this important cause. An early and significant supporter of this trial is the Mary Kay Ash Foundation℠, a longtime supporter of Celebrating Women.
“Raising and distributing funds in support of research for cancers affecting women was a cause near and dear to Mary Kay Ash’s heart,” said Michael Lunceford, president of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation Board of Directors. “This new trial aligns well with our mission to enrich the lives of women through research resulting in new scientific paradigms, ultimately bringing hope, healing and improved outcomes to the women and families directly impacted by breast cancer.”
“Philanthropy has played a major role in advancing our understanding of the identification and treatment of breast cancer, as well as how to prevent its recurrence,” Dr. O’Shaughnessy said. “Knowledge like this can advance treatment for the thousands of patients with breast cancer Baylor Scott & White treats in Texas each year. On a much larger scale, this could benefit the tens of thousands of people who are overweight or obese and are diagnosed with high-risk breast cancer annually throughout the U.S.”
