Hormonal
Tirzepatide (TRZD) may increase the risk of cancer progression, specifically pancreatic and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), through GLP-1R/GIPR-mediated activation of oncogenic pathways (PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Ras-Raf-ERK) and calcitonin release, particularly in patients with prior pancreatitis or family history of MTC.
If you have a personal or family history of Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), you should not use Tirzepatide. If you have a history of pancreatitis, use with caution and monitor for symptoms. For other diabetic patients, the long-term cancer risk is currently unknown, but the drug is approved for weight loss and glucose control. Discuss your specific cancer history with your provider before starting.
TRZD treatment may likely promote/support cancers of the pancreas, thyroid, breast, liver, and colon... TRZD treatment thus may be a cause of concern if used in patients with MTC (or anyone in the family of the patient has had MTC) or if the patient has multiple MEN2, owing to the possibility of risk of developing and/or progression of MTCs in affected individuals
Why this rating
Based on retrospective studies, animal models, and receptor expression data; human cancer outcome data is explicitly stated as lacking.
Source
Tirzepatide—Friend or Foe in Diabetic Cancer Patients?
Samson Mathews Samuel et al. · Biomolecules · 2022
DOI 10.3390/biom12111580
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