Colton Frisco Jones, MD, a 2nd-year fellow at UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio), recently earned the prestigious Healio NextGen Disruptor Award at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2026 annual meeting in Chicago.
GLP-1s and reduced cancer risk discovery
Using the TriNetX database (a global, multi-institutional platform of de-identified patient data), Jones and his team were among the first to identify a strong association between GLP-1 medications, commonly used for diabetes and weight loss, and a significant reduction in cancer risk.
“Our research has been among the first in the world to identify an association with GLP-1s and reduced cancer risk across multiple cancers,” Jones shared. “Obesity is a well‑established driver of malignancy, with approximately 13 cancers classified as obesity‑related. So, in addition to breast cancer and acute myeloid leukemia, what our research shows is that there is an association between GLP-1 use and a reduction in liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma).”
Shaping the future of medicine: Lasting impact with worldwide implications
By translating and expanding on these findings, Jones aims to drive improvements in health and cancer care outcomes. His vision is to benefit patients throughout South Texas and across the globe, and ultimately to bring advanced cancer care back to his home country, the Bahamas.
“What we’re seeing is a cancer risk reduction signal across almost 13 different cancers, and if this hypothesis is validated through upcoming clinical trials, we could be talking about a medication that could possibly reduce somebody’s risk of getting 13 different cancers,” Jones shared. “This could literally forever change the practice of medicine.”
Jones and his team’s groundbreaking research has set a new standard for what is possible in medicine and has the potential to revolutionize both cancer prevention and treatment for years and generations to come.