ReviewOncotarget2011
Metformin: multi-faceted protection against cancer.
Review in Oncotarget, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03525028 (Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Research Evaluating the Use of Combination Therapy of Glucocorticoids and Metformin to Decrease Glucocorticoids Side Effects in Patients With Autoimmune Uveitis), which is not on this map. Cited by 164 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial Research Evaluating the Use of Combination Therapy of Glucocorticoids and Metformin to Decrease Glucocorticoids Side Effects in Patients With Autoimmune Uveitis
Who cites it
164 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 302 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of metformin use on the risk and prognosis of endometrial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2018Pooled it
- Metformin Improves Overall Survival of Colorectal Cancer Patients with Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of diabetes research · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of metformin on survival outcomes of lung cancer patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2016Pooled it
- Metformin Is Associated With Slightly Reduced Risk of Colorectal Cancer and Moderate Survival Benefits in Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis.Medicine · 2016 · on this mapPooled it
- Survival benefits of metformin for colorectal cancer patients with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Enhancing the Efficacy of Metformin in Neoadjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis Based on Randomized Clinical Trials.Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer CenterPooled it
- Metformin in Combination with Standard Therapy in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2024Trial
- Metformin in the management of fibrocystic breast disease: a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2021Trial
- Targeting notch signaling pathway in esophageal cancer: from molecular insights to therapies.Oncology reviews · 2026Review
- Investigation of the synergistic effect of metformin and FX11 on PANC-1 cell lines.Biological research · 2025Article
- Metformin for Treating Gestational Diabetes: What Have We Learned During the Last Two Decades? A Systematic Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The antipsychotic drug pimozide promotes apoptosis through the RAF/ERK pathway and enhances autophagy in breast cancer cells.Cancer biology & therapy · 2024Article
- Ammodaucus Leucotrichus Seed Extract as a Potential Therapy in Animal Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis Induced by Complete Freund Adjuvant and Chicken Cartilage Collagen.Applied biochemistry and biotechnology · 2024Article
- Discovering Potential in Non-Cancer Medications: A Promising Breakthrough for Multiple Myeloma Patients.Cancers · 2024Review
- Metformin: A Dual-Role Player in Cancer Treatment and Prevention.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Metformin may improve the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus partly through effects on neutrophil extracellular traps.BJC reports · 2023Article
- The impact of metformin on survival in diabetes patients with operable colorectal cancer: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.The Journal of international medical research · 2023Article
- Unraveling the Peculiar Features of Mitochondrial Metabolism and Dynamics in Prostate Cancer.Cancers · 2023Review
- Holistic management of hepatocellular carcinoma: The hepatologist's comprehensive playbook.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2022Review
- The effect of metformin on the survival of colorectal cancer patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Scientific reports · 2022Article
104 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The biguanide metformin, a widely used drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, may exert cancer chemopreventive effects by suppressing the transformative and hyperproliferative processes that initiate carcinogenesis. Metformin's molecular targets in cancer cells (e.g., mTOR, HER2) are similar to those currently being used for directed cancer therapy. However, metformin is nontoxic and might be extremely useful for enhancing treatment efficacy of mechanism-based and biologically targeted drugs. Here, we first revisit the epidemiological, preclinical, and clinical evidence from the last 5 years showing that metformin is a promising candidate for oncology therapeutics. Second, the anticancer effects of metformin by both direct (insulin-independent) and indirect (insulin-dependent) mechanisms are discussed in terms of metformin-targeted processes and the ontogenesis of cancer stem cells (CSC), including Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and microRNAs-regulated dedifferentiation of CSCs. Finally, we present preliminary evidence that metformin may regulate cellular senescence, an innate safeguard against cellular immortalization. There are two main lines of evidence that suggest that metformin's primary target is the immortalizing step during tumorigenesis. First, metformin activates intracellular DNA damage response checkpoints. Second, metformin attenuates the anti-senescence effects of the ATP-generating glycolytic metabotype-the Warburg effect-, which is required for self-renewal and proliferation of CSCs. If metformin therapy presents an intrinsic barrier against tumorigenesis by lowering the threshold for stress-induced senescence, metformin therapeutic strategies may be pivotal for therapeutic intervention for cancer. Current and future clinical trials will elucidate whether metformin has the potential to be used in preventive and treatment settings as an adjuvant to current cancer therapeutics.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.