RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Metformin and Other Biguanides in Oncology: Advancing the Research Agenda
JF Cancer Prevention Research
JO Cancer Prev Res (Phila)
FD American Association for Cancer Research
SP 1060
OP 1065
DO 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-10-0175
VO 3
IS 9
A1 Pollak, Michael
YR 2010
UL http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/3/9/1060.abstract
AB Retrospective studies that may be impractical to confirm prospectively suggest that diabetics treated with metformin have a substantially reduced cancer burden compared with other diabetics. It is unclear if this reflects a chemopreventive effect, an effect on transformed cells, or both. It also remains to be established if these data have relevance to people without diabetes. Laboratory models, however, provide independent impressive evidence for the activity of metformin and other biguanides in both cancer treatment and chemoprevention. Investigations of mechanisms of action of biguanides have revealed considerable complexity and have identified important gaps in knowledge that should be addressed to ensure the optimal design of clinical trials of these agents. Such trials may define important new indications for biguanides in the prevention and/or treatment of many common cancers. Cancer Prev Res; 3(9); 1060–5. ©2010 AACR.