World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

A REVIEW ON THE ANTI-TUMOR EFFECT OF METFORMIN IN CANCER

Dr. K. Revathi and Fathima Shireen*

ABSTRACT

Metformin (1, 1-dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride), an oral biguanide agent, derived from the herb Galega officinalis (French lilac), has been widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Metformin also displays significant growth inhibitory effects in several cancer cell and mouse tumor models. According to a study conducted by the Indian council of medical research in 2013, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes. In India, gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer among males and seventh most common cancer among females. Every year in India, 122,844 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 67,477 die from the disease. A study by an international team of doctors, reported that only 4% of liver cancer patients survive for five years in India compared to 10% to 20% elsewhere. Observational data including registries of patients with type II diabetes have suggested that use of metformin may be associated with a decreased cancer incidence. The knowledge gained from the molecular mechanisms of metformin action could lead to the development of novel therapies. Therefore, metformin has become an attractive stand-all agent for molecular chemoprevention with an extra significant benefit when combined with common chemo or radiation therapy.

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