Can Diabetes Drugs Like Metformin Be Effective in Cancer Treatment?

Researchers are studying how metformin, a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, could also be useful in treating cancer. Here’s how it works and what we know so far:

Metformin blocks a part of the cell's energy production process, which activates a protein called AMPK.

AMPK helps control cell growth and can act as a tumor suppressor, meaning it can help stop the growth of cancer cells.

By changing how cells produce energy, metformin may slow down cancer cell growth.

Fighting Cancer Cells:

• Studies in labs show that metformin might help stop cancer cells from multiplying.
• It could also improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy by helping tumors get more oxygen.
• When combined with chemotherapy and radiation, metformin might work even better against cancer cells.

Targeting Cancer:

• Metformin seems to affect several important processes in cancer, such as how cancer cells grow and create new blood vessels.
• It might also disrupt the energy supply that cancer cells need to survive.

What We’ve Seen in Patients:

• Some studies found that people with diabetes who took metformin had a lower risk of getting certain cancers compared to those taking other diabetes drugs.
• Metformin might help lower insulin levels and improve overall metabolism, which could slow down cancer growth.

Metformin shows potential in cancer treatment because of how it works at the cellular level and the results seen in some studies. However, more research is needed to determine how effective it really is in treating cancer, the best doses to use, and which patients might benefit the most.