Colton Jones, MD, a hematology-oncology fellow in the Long School of Medicine, receives one of The Bahamas’ highest honors for his research on the connection of GLP-1 medication and reduced cancer risk.
When Colton Jones, MD, learned he had been selected to receive the Order of Distinction from the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, he was speechless.
The award is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors, given to Bahamian citizens who have made exceptional contributions in their fields and represented the country on a global stage. Jones, a second-year hematology-oncology fellow at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, was named a Companion, which is the highest rank of the award, at age 35, making him one of the youngest recipients of the honor.
For Jones, the recognition is about more than personal achievement. It reflects the family, mentors, institutions and island community that helped shape his path from a small Bahamian island to cancer research with international reach.
“Every success that I’ve obtained, I really owe it to my support system,” Jones said. “It’s really a privilege and an honor just to be a part of the investment of so many great people.”
Raised by a community
Jones grew up on San Salvador, an island in The Bahamas with about 2,000 people. There was no hospital on the island, and medical emergencies often required patients to be flown to the city for care. He saw firsthand how distance, geography and limited access could affect the lives of people he loved.
Those experiences, he said, continue to influence how he approaches medicine, research and patient care.
“I grew up on a very small island, and I was raised by that community,” Jones said. “This community building that I was able to experience there has sort of traveled with me wherever I go.”
Neighbors made sure he had food when his parents were working. Teachers, church members and community leaders helped make sure children had what they needed for school and spiritual growth. That foundation, Jones said, instilled in him a sense of belonging and responsibility that he now tries to pass on to residents, fellows and patients.
He became the first medical doctor from his island and is training to become one of the first Bahamian cancer physicians in nearly two decades. The distinction, he said, belongs not only to him, but also to the people who supported him along the way.
A research question with personal roots
Jones’ recent research focuses on GLP-1 medications, a class of drugs widely known for treating Type 2 diabetes and supporting weight loss. His interest in the medications began close to home: he has a strong family history of Type 2 diabetes, is prediabetic himself and has a family history of genetic colon cancer.
After his mother began taking a GLP-1 medication, Jones started asking whether the drugs could have benefits beyond diabetes and weight management, including a possible role in cancer prevention.
Using the TriNetX database, which includes data from more than 140 million patients, Jones examined whether patients taking GLP-1 medications showed signs of reduced cancer risk. When he first saw a signal related to colon cancer, he said, the finding stopped him.
“When I found the first signal with colon cancer, it was like the light bulb went off,” Jones said. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so I ran the analysis about 15 more times just to be sure.”
He presented his findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, where Jones said it was well received by the oncology community.
Since then, his work and related studies have explored associations between GLP-1 use and reduced risk of several cancers, including colon, breast, pancreatic and liver cancers.
Looking toward prevention
Jones said GLP-1 medications may influence cancer risk through several mechanisms. Because obesity is linked to multiple cancers, weight loss may reduce chronic inflammation in the body, which is a driver of cancer development. The medications also may improve insulin sensitivity and affect biological pathways involved in cancer growth.
For colorectal cancer in particular, Jones sees an urgent need for new prevention strategies. Early-onset colorectal cancer is rising, he said, and there are limited screening options for average-risk adults younger than 40.
Still, Jones is careful to emphasize that the current evidence is not definitive. Much of the research is retrospective and observational, he said, and clinical trials are needed to determine whether GLP-1 medications can truly reduce cancer risk.
Those next steps are beginning. Jones said research presented by his team and others helped contribute to the launch of a randomized clinical trial through a national cancer research group that will focus on GLP-1 medications and breast cancer risk reduction.
“If they’re confirmed in clinical trials, we could be talking about the next FDA-approved medication for cancer risk reduction,” Jones said.
Where patient care and research meet
Jones said some of his research questions begin with patients. While caring for a patient at the VA who had undergone breast surgery and axillary lymph node dissection, he said the patient asked whether GLP-1 medications might reduce lymphedema.
Jones analyzed the question and found an association between GLP-1 use and a 60% reduction in lymphedema. He later presented the abstract at ASCO. The experience, he said, showed how patients can help point researchers toward meaningful questions.
“That’s a perfect example of how your research ideas can come from your patients who are on these drugs and are experiencing either benefits or side effects,” Jones said.
Making patients feel seen
For Jones, the ultimate goal of his research is simple: improving patient care.
His upbringing in The Bahamas, where access to emergency care could be limited by geography, helped shape his understanding of health disparities and his commitment to compassionate care. He said those experiences allow him to connect with patients who face barriers to care and to approach each encounter with empathy.
“Patients may not remember your name as a physician, and they may not remember a lot of things about you, but one thing they always remember is how you made them feel,” Jones said.
He wants every patient to feel important, cared for and not alone. That philosophy, he said, also guides the advice he would give to medical students and young physicians from smaller countries or underrepresented backgrounds who hope to make a difference.
“You don’t have to have it all together,” Jones said. “You just simply have to have the willpower, empathy, the compassion, the drive and the humility to want to make a difference.”