Popular weight loss and diabetes drugs may have benefits that reach beyond their current use, according to comments from Dr. Loren Rourke, a Texas based board certified breast cancer surgeon, author and speaker.

Rourke told Fox News Digital that research has suggested glucagon like peptide 1 medications may be associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence. The drug class includes Ozempic and Wegovy.

The findings are being discussed as these medications continue to transform treatment for diabetes and obesity. At the same time, emerging research is raising questions about whether their effects could extend into cancer prevention and survival.

Rourke pointed to findings presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago. Researchers there reported an association between use of these medications and lower breast cancer recurrence rates.

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The same findings also suggested a possible role in preventing breast cancer. However, Rourke emphasized that the evidence remains observational.

That distinction matters because observational findings cannot prove that the drugs reduce cancer risk. Rourke said patients should not view the current research as proof that they should start the medications for breast cancer prevention or treatment.

Instead, she said the findings have drawn attention to the relationship between these drugs and cancer outcomes. The research has also helped focus scientific interest on what still needs to be tested.

According to Rourke, one reason the medications may be linked with cancer prevention is their effect on weight loss. She said they can reduce BMI, and she connected that point to breast cancer prognosis.

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"We know that a lower BMI equals a better prognosis with breast cancer." Rourke told Fox News Digital.

She said that if taking one of these medications leads to weight loss, that effect could be beneficial for patients with breast cancer. The reason, she said, is that better outcomes are already linked with lower BMI.

Rourke also noted that post menopausal women who are struggling with weight gain could see an extra benefit. Her comments focused on the possible secondary effects of weight reduction rather than a proven direct cancer effect.

The surgeon also discussed estrogen production associated with excess body fat. She said diabetes and obesity medications can lower estrogen production connected to that excess fat.

"The more fat you have, the higher your estrogen production," Rourke said.

She added, "You’re kind of bathing your body in estrogen, so to speak. So it intuitively makes sense that we are seeing this correlation or association."

Rourke also said the medications may reduce the chronic inflammatory state in which cancer thrives. She described inflammation as another reason the observed association is drawing attention.

"So if it’s fixing the overall chronic inflammation of the body, that’s going to help for a lot of reasons," she said.

Still, Rourke stressed that researchers have not proven that these medications directly affect breast cancer cells. She said the current work has generated enough attention and scientific hypotheses that randomized controlled trials are now the studies many are waiting for.

For patients considering these medications, Rourke said the decision should be tied to elevated BMI and difficulty losing weight after trying healthy diet and exercise. She also urged post menopausal women struggling with weight gain to contact their doctor and have an individual conversation.