Growth hormone has been touted as fountain of youth and virility by the antiaging community. Many of these drugs used in “peptide therapy” present a serious and potentially deadly risk to individuals living with, or predisposed to, cancer. 

Growth hormone and its metabolic product, IGF-1, are both well-known to increase cellular growth. Although this effect is sometimes desirable, as seen through their increasing muscular bodyweight, these hormones do not differentiate between “good” muscle cells and “bad” cancer cells when influencing growth. GH and IGF-1 products used in peptide therapy have been associated with the growth of numerous types of cancer. 

Many of these peptide therapy drugs increase growth hormone and IGF-production. This includes all of the GHRPs (growth hormone releasing hormones, like GHRP-2 and GHRP-6), Ibutamoren Mesylate, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 and Tesamorelin. Some of them cause extreme increases in both hormones, far beyond natural levels, and for a far greater length of time, compared to what could be naturally produced. Some peptide therapy even includes directly injecting IGF-1 or MGF (a form of IGF-1 produced in the muscle). 

But it is important to distinguish growth hormone and IGF-1 as hormones that may potentially aggravate existing cancer, or act to increase the likelihood of contracting cancer from environmental carcinogens, versus hormones that cause cancer. It is likewise important to note that while they are correlated with cancer, the data stops short of implying direct causation. However, they are very likely to increase cancer risk, most likely through increasing the potential to accelerate cancer cell growth. There are approximately two million new cancer diagnoses annually and over half a million deaths from cancer. With the prevalence of cancer in the United States, it should be understood that use of peptides is likely to increase one’s risk of contracting the disease.