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Metformin before surgery appeared to slow prostate cancer growth
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When administered before prostatectomy, the popular antidiabetes drug metformin was associated with significant reductions to certain metabolic parameters, as well as a reduction in the growth rate of prostate cancer.
Anthony M. Joshua, MBBS, PhD, staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital at University Health Network in Toronto, and colleagues evaluated 22 men assigned up to 500 mg metformin three times daily before undergoing prostatectomy.
“This gave us the ability to compare what the prostate cancer looked like when it was first diagnosed to what it looked like when the prostate cancer was removed from the body,” Joshua said in a press release. “We were able to directly measure the effect of metformin on the prostate cancer.”
Eligible patients had histologically confirmed prostate cancer involving at least 20% of at least one unfragmented biopsy core. Patients who were on diabetes treatment with any drug or who began any form of diabetes treatment during the course of the study were ineligible.
The median age of the patients was 64 years, and median treatment was 41 days.
Preliminary results showed reductions in insulin-like growth factor I (P=.02), BMI (P<.01) waist-to-hip ratio (P<.01) and fasting glucose (P=.03).
Patients reported no grade-3 toxicity.
Previous studies have showed that metformin was associated with reduced risk for colon cancer growth and may benefit women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Results from the ZODIAC-16 study showed that cancer patients with type 2 diabetes assigned to metformin had superior survival.
Results of the current study could have implications for diabetic patients with prostate cancer and for men with prostate cancer whose tumors have characteristics that make them sensitive to metformin, Joshua said.
“Although these are preliminary results, metformin appeared to reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer in a proportion of men. Also, it appeared to reduce one of the main growth pathways that may have contributed to the overall growth of the tumor,” he said in a press release. “This research builds on the hypothesis that metformin has a role in prostate cancer. Exactly what that role will be will depend on the results of the analysis currently being completed by our study team and others worldwide.”
For more information:
- Joshua AM. Abstract #CT-04. Presented at: 2012 AACR Annual Meeting; March 31-April 4; Chicago.
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Michael Lisanti, MD, PhD
Chair of the department of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine
Thomas Jefferson University’s Kimmel Cancer Center
Disclosure: Dr. Lisanti reports no relevant financial disclosures.