Abstract

METFORMIN AND BREAST CANCER: AN INSIGHT INTO ITS PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL USES

Sumaiya Azmi, Rufaida Wasim*, Poonam Yadav, Swati Srivastava, Sabreena Naz, Asad Ahmad

ABSTRACT

Over the last several decades, there has been a surge in research on the potential use of the anti-diabetic drug metformin for the prevention and/or treatment of breast cancer. Early in the new millennium, observational studies revealed that people with diabetes who used metformin had a decreased chance of developing cancer, providing the first indication that the medicine may have anti-cancer properties. Despite considerable attempts, the exact mechanisms and clinical efficacy of metformin for breast cancer are still unknown twenty years after the drug's introduction. The key findings from in vitro, in vivo, and human research that examined the effect of metformin on breast cancer from many translational perspectives are included here. We alsoemphasize the ways in which the anti-cancer benefits of metformin may be modulated by the dosage of the medication, underlying metabolic health, menopausal status, tumor subtype, membrane transporter expression, nutrition, and other variables. The significant variation in research results may be explained by these important considerations. Whether a patient has been diagnosed with breast cancer or is at high risk of getting the disease, these insights should help interpret data from completed trials, improve the design of future studies, and help identify patient subgroups most likely to benefit from metformin treatment.

Keywords: breast cancer; metformin; diabetes; inflammation, clinical trial.