The question that drives him: If metabolic health is central to cancer prevention, could GLP-1 therapies help prevent colorectal cancer?
For Colton Jones, MD, a first-year fellow in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas at San Antonio, the question of cancer prevention has never been abstract.
Jones has spent much of his adult life aware that colorectal cancer and metabolic disease run in his family.
“I’ve known my entire adult life that I’m at higher risk. It’s affected how I think about food, health and long-term decisions,” Jones said.
That awareness shaped his relationship with health long before he entered medicine. It also shaped his future.
With a strong genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer and a family history of Type 2 diabetes, which is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, Jones grew up understanding that prevention was essential. As he advanced through medical training and chose oncology as his specialty, he questioned whether there was a way to prevent cancer before it ever started.
That question guided his research into colorectal cancer risk prevention, which has now gained national attention.
Jones recently presented his findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2026 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. Those findings suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs may significantly reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
From personal risk to the national stage
GLP-1 receptor agonists have revolutionized metabolic healthcare, offering effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes and obesity. As their use expanded across the country, early studies began to show favorable side effects, including anticancer effects.
This potential immediately caught Jones’ eye.
“When I saw the early data suggesting these drugs might have anticancer properties, the first thing that came to mind was my family. I thought, what if this actually works?” he said.
Under the mentorship of Sukeshi Patel Arora, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio and professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the Long School of Medicine, Jones studied whether GLP-1 receptor agonists were associated with reduced colorectal cancer incidence.
“This study highlights how medications developed for metabolic disease may have far broader implications for oncology. Dr. Jones approached this question thoughtfully, and the findings open the door for future research that could reshape prevention and treatment strategies,” said Arora.
Using records from a large national medical database, Jones and his team analyzed outcomes from more than 280,000 patients. They compared people prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists with a group taking aspirin. Aspirin has long been the standard medication studied for colorectal cancer prevention. To reduce bias, patients were balanced by demographic factors, underlying health conditions and cancer history.
Jones remembers the pivotal moment the data began to take shape.
“When we first ran the analysis, we thought maybe weight loss would explain the effect, so we adjusted for [body mass index]. But the effect was still there. Then we adjusted for diabetes. We ran it again and again across subgroups, and every time we saw the same result,” he said.
Across multiple analyses, patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists were 36% less likely to develop colorectal cancer than those taking aspirin. The benefit held, regardless of weight loss, BMI or diabetes status. The effect was strongest among people ages 18 to 44.
For Jones, that finding was particularly important.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related death among people under age 50 in the United States. Many scientists believe worsening metabolic health is playing a role.
“To see the strongest benefit in younger people was incredible,” Jones said.
New angle on cancer prevention
GLP-1 receptor agonists may influence cancer risk through multiple pathways. The drugs reduce obesity-related inflammation, and they also improve insulin sensitivity, addressing some of cancer’s known metabolic drivers.
GLP-1 receptors are also expressed in the colon, where activation may improve the gut microbiome and reduce inflammatory signals linked to tumor development. Emerging scientific evidence suggests the drugs may inhibit the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, a key driver of cancer cell growth.
“The drug’s effect appears to be multifactorial with both indirect metabolic benefits and a direct anticancer effect,” Jones said.
Implications of these findings are significant. More than 20 million Americans are currently taking GLP-1 medications for diabetes or obesity. If future studies prove the association is causal, thousands of people may already be receiving cancer-prevention benefits.
“For decades, we’ve focused on treating cancer once it appears, and prevention has lagged behind. That’s discouraging when rates of many kinds of cancer are on the rise,” Jones said.
His hope is that future longitudinal studies can follow participants over five to 10 years to determine whether GLP-1 therapies truly prevent colorectal cancer. If confirmed, the findings could influence national guidelines and regulatory recommendations.
Future defined by prevention
Jones plans to pursue a career in academic and community medicine with a focus on gastrointestinal oncology and metabolic-driven cancer prevention. For him, metabolic health is central to cancer prevention.
“In Western countries especially, the metabolic factors driving diabetes and obesity are also driving cancer risk. If we can control those factors, we could potentially lower cancer incidence globally,” he said.
At UT San Antonio, Jones says he found an environment where early-career physician-scientists are encouraged to ask ambitious questions and pursue data-driven answers.
“This kind of research doesn’t happen without mentorship and institutional support,” Jones said.
Still, the motivation behind his research remains personal.
Every analysis, model or late-night data review carried a sense of urgency, not just for his patients, but also for his family, who first shaped his awareness of cancer risk.
“I thought about how can this benefit my patients, but also how can it benefit my family and the world? That’s what drives me,” Jones said.
For him, cancer prevention research holds the key to a world where the growing threat of colorectal cancer will someday be a thing of the past.
Learn more about the colorectal cancer research of Colton Jones that is gaining national attention.