Retrospective study shows increased 5-year survival
New study findings related to the drug metformin may aid researchers as they study the use of existing medications to treat different or new diseases. Mayo Clinic researchers recently reported that patients with ovarian cancer who took metformin for their diabetes had a better survival rate than patients who did not take it.
In previous research, metformin, a widely prescribed drug to treat diabetes, has shown its potential for treating other cancers. This study, published early online in the journal Cancer, now adds ovarian cancer to the list.
Researchers evaluated 239 patients with ovarian cancer. Metformin was prescribed to 61 patients, and 178 patients were not taking metformin. Of the patients who took metformin, 67% were surviving after 5 years, compared with 47% of those who did not take the medication. After analyzing factors such as the patients’ body mass index, the severity of the cancer, type of chemotherapy, and quality of surgery, researchers discovered that patients taking metformin were almost 4 times more likely to survive compared with those not taking the medication.
“Our study demonstrated improved survival in women with ovarian cancer that were taking metformin,” says coauthor Sanjeev Kumar, MBBS, a Mayo Clinic gynecologic oncology fellow. “The results are encouraging, but as with any retrospective study, many factors cannot be controlled for us to say if there is a direct cause and effect. Rather, this is further human evidence for a potential beneficial effect of a commonly used drug which is relatively safe in humans. These findings should provide impetus for prospective clinical trials in ovarian cancer.”
Source: Mayo Clinic.