21-Aug-2012
Research published online this month led by researchers at the University of Oxford, including DTU, suggests that the diabetes drug metformin does not prevent people from developing cancer.
The study, funded by Diabetes UK and published in the journal Diabetologia, analysed the largest collection of clinical trials data ever used to study metformin and cancer. The researchers examined data from nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in the scientific literature.
The trials had tested metformin alongside placebo, usual care or other treatments for diabetes in more than 11,500 people without pre-existing cancer, and on average, followed-up the patients after they had completed the trial for four years.
Previous analyses of observational and laboratory studies have suggested that people taking metformin may be at lower risk of developing cancer, but this overview of randomised controlled trials found no evidence to support this finding.
To read the full paper, click below:
[Link]