Research led by Warwick
Medical School at the University of Warwick has found that Metformin, a
drug treatment used to treat diabetes and also in women with Polycystic vary
syndrome (PCOS), may potentially provide protection against endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer is the
most common malignancy of the female genital tract and the fourth most common
cancer in women in the UK and the US. Up to a third of PCOS women also have
endometrial hyperplasia which, in turn predisposes these women to endometrial
cancer. PCOS affects 5%-10% of women of reproductive age, where Metformin
ameliorates insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia in these women, but also
long-term use of Metformin improves ovulation and menstrual cycle regularity.
Recent research has found
that Metformin has anti-cancer properties e.g. in breast cancer. Given that
insulin resistant states, e.g. obesity, diabetes and PCOS are more at risk of
developing endometrial cancer, the Warwick researchers studied the effects of
metformin treatment on endometrial cancer cells. The researchers used
serum from control and PCOS (before and after metformin treatment) subjects and
carried out basic scientific experiments on endometrial cancer cells. The
experiments revealed a decrease in endometrial cancer cell invasiveness in sera
from metformin treated PCOS women.
The researchers found that
serum samples from PCOS women who had completed the 6 month course of Metformin
the rate of spread of endometrial cancer cells was around 25% lower than
in the serum samples from PCOS women who had not started that treatment.
The principal investigators,
Dr Harpal Randeva and Dr Bee K Tan, at Warwick Medical School said: "We
are very excited about our findings, which reveal the significant impact of
Metformin therapy use on human endometrial cancer cells. However, it
is prudent that further research to explore if Metformin would actually be
beneficial clinically as adjuvant therapy in endometrial cancer; this would
need to be addressed through a randomized controlled trial."
Source:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/diabetes_treatment_may