Metformin: review of epidemiology and mechanisms of action in pancreatic cancer

• Published in: Cancer and metastasis reviews Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 865 - 878
• Main Authors: Eibl, Guido, Rozengurt, Enrique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Antidiabetics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Cancer Research; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Development and progression; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes therapy; Epidemiology; Epithelial cells; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Metformin; Metformin - pharmacology; Metformin - therapeutic use; Oncology; Oncology, Experimental; Pancreas; Pancreatic cancer; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - epidemiology; Prevention; Type 2 diabetes; Preclinical studies; Mechanisms; Metformin; Epidemiology; Pancreatic cancer
• ISSN: 0167-7659; 1573-7233
• DOI: 10.1007/s10555-021-09977-z

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma continues to be a lethal disease, for which efficient treatment options are very limited. Increasing efforts have been taken to understand how to prevent or intercept this disease at an early stage. There is convincing evidence from epidemiologic and preclinical studies that the antidiabetic drug metformin possesses beneficial effects in pancreatic cancer, including reducing the risk of developing the disease and improving survival in patients with early-stage disease. This review will summarize the current literature about the epidemiological data on metformin and pancreatic cancer as well as describe the preclinical evidence illustrating the anticancer effects of metformin in pancreatic cancer. Underlying mechanisms and targets of metformin will also be discussed. These include direct effects on transformed pancreatic epithelial cells and indirect, systemic effects on extra-pancreatic tissues.