Diabetes drug could help prevent lung cancer
April 20th, 2010 - 12:32 pm ICT by ANIWashington, April 20(ANI): Metformin, a mainstay of treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, is believed to be useful in preventing lung cancer.
However, researchers are waiting for its confirmation in clinical trials.
Apart from reducing levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and circulating insulin, which is important in patients with type 2 diabetes, metformin may inhibit tumor growth as well.
Phillip A. Dennis, senior investigator in the medical oncology branch of the National Cancer Institute, said: “This well tolerated, FDA-approved diabetes drug was able to prevent tobacco-carcinogen induced lung tumors.”
The experts treated mice with metformin for 13 weeks following exposure to a nicotine-derived nitrosamine (NNK), which is the most prevalent carcinogen in tobacco and a known promoter of lung tumorigenesis.
When given orally, metformin was well tolerated and reduced tumor burden by 40 percent to 50 percent. Dennis said levels of metformin reached in mice are readily achievable in humans.
Dennis and colleagues further evaluated the effects of metformin on a series of biomarkers for lung tumorigenesis and found that it inhibited mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which promotes lung tumor growth, by decreasing levels of circulating insulin and IGF-1.
It was observed that this effect was even more profound when metformin was administered to mice by injection, which reduced lung tumor burden by 72 percent.
The study was presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010. (ANI)
- Mouse study shows nicotine does not promote lung cancer growth - Apr 05, 2011
- Metformin may protect against liver cancer - Apr 02, 2012
- Green tea may cut smokers' lung cancer risk - Jan 13, 2010
- Popular diabetes drug may help treat cancer - May 05, 2010
- Diabetes increases risk of cancer, say experts - Jun 17, 2010
- Social isolation, stress-induced obesity 'ups breast cancer risk' - Apr 05, 2011
- Growth defects in patients with cystic fibrosis 'may start before birth' - Nov 10, 2010
- Diabetes drug reduces cancer risk - Nov 27, 2011
- Aging process in mice linked to hyperactive cellular pathway - Dec 23, 2010
- Micro-RNA that regulates insulin in obesity identified - Apr 01, 2011
- Common diabetic therapy reduces pancreatic cancer risk - Aug 02, 2009
- Red wine compound 'can give a boost to breast cancer treatment' - Feb 15, 2011
- Brain insulin plays critical role in development of diabetes - Feb 17, 2011
- Diabetes drug can stave off leading cause of blindness - May 09, 2012
- US made ciggies '3 times more cancerous than foreign counterparts' - Jun 03, 2010
Tags: aacr, biomarkers, diabetes drug, growth factor 1, insulin like growth factor, lung tumor, lung tumors, metformin, mtor, national cancer institute, nitrosamine, nnk, oncology branch, patients with type, target, tobacco carcinogen, tumor burden, tumor growth, tumorigenesis, type 2 diabetes