Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32321715›Full record

ArticleClinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research2020

AMPK Activation by Metformin Promotes Survival of Dormant ER

Riley A Hampsch, Jason D Wells, Nicole A Traphagen, Charlotte F McCleery, Jennifer L Fields, Kevin Shee, Lloye M Dillon, Darcy B Pooler, Lionel D Lewis, Eugene Demidenko and 5 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
64citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.2field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

64 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
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  5. Review
  6. Metabolic Response to CDK4/6 Inhibition in ER+ Breast Cancer Creates a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Drug-Tolerant Persister Cells.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
    Article
  7. Metformin Impairs Breast Cancer Growth through the Inhibition of PRMT6.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
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  11. Review
  12. Article
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  15. Article
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  17. Enter sandman: how to tackle dormant breast cancer cells.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2025
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Review

4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Riley A HampschDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Jason D WellsDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Nicole A TraphagenDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Charlotte F McCleeryDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Jennifer L FieldsDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Kevin SheeDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Lloye M DillonDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Darcy B PoolerDepartment of Medicine, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Lionel D LewisDepartment of Medicine, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Eugene DemidenkoDepartment of Community & Family Medicine, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Yina H HuangDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Jonathan D MarottiDepartment of Pathology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Abigail E GoenDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
William B KinlawDepartment of Medicine, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Todd W MillerDepartment of Molecular & Systems Biology, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, New Hampshire. Todd.W.Miller@Dartmouth.edu.
Dartmouth College · US

Funding

Translational Engineering in Cancer (TEC)P30CA023108 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI Fred W Kolling IV · 1985 to 2026
$91.3M
A precision medicine basis for estrogen therapy for advanced breast cancerR01CA200994 · NCI · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · PI Todd W. Miller · 2017 to 2026
$3.7M
Role of Protein S14 in Normal and Neoplastic Mammary GlandR01CA126618 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI KINLAW, WILLIAM B · 2007 to 2017
$2.8M
Timing is everything: applications in precision oncology for ER+ breast cancerR01CA211869 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI MILLER, TODD W. · 2017 to 2021
$2.1M
Microenvironmental FGF2-mediated resistance to anti-estrogen and PI3K/mTOR pathway therapeutics in ER+ breast cancerF30CA216966 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI SHEE, KEVIN · 2017 to 2020
$176k
Conquering clinical dormancy: the role of AMPK in ER+ breast cancerF31CA220936 · NCI · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · PI HAMPSCH, RILEY A · 2017 to 2018
$72k
NCI NIH HHS F30 CA216966NCI NIH HHS F31 CA220936NCI NIH HHS P30 CA023108NCI NIH HHS R01 CA126618NCI NIH HHS R01 CA200994NCI NIH HHS R01 CA211869
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDespite adjuvant endocrine therapy for patients with estrogen receptor alpha (ER)-positive breast cancer, dormant residual disease can persist for years and eventually cause tumor recurrence. We sought to deduce mechanisms underlying the persistence of dormant cancer cells to identify therapeutic strategies. EXPERIMENTAL

designMimicking the aromatase inhibitor-induced depletion of estrogen levels used to treat patients, we developed preclinical models of dormancy in ER

resultsDormant breast cancer cells exhibited upregulated 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) levels and activity, and upregulated fatty acid oxidation. While the antidiabetes AMPK-activating drug metformin slowed the estrogen-driven growth of cells and tumors, metformin promoted the persistence of estrogen-deprived cells and tumors through increased mitochondrial respiration driven by fatty acid oxidation. Pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of AMPK or fatty acid oxidation promoted clearance of dormant residual disease, while dietary fat increased tumor cell survival.

conclusionsAMPK has context-dependent effects in cancer, cautioning against the widespread use of an AMPK activator across disease settings. The development of therapeutics targeting fat metabolism is warranted in ER

Indexed as

AMP-Activated Protein KinasesAnimalsAromatase InhibitorsBreast NeoplasmsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationCell SurvivalChemotherapy, AdjuvantEstrogensFemaleHumansMetforminMiceNeoadjuvant TherapyReceptors, EstrogenSignal TransductionAMP-Activated Protein KinasesAromatase InhibitorsEstrogensMetforminReceptors, Estrogen

Identifiers

PMID32321715
PMCPMC7367755
OpenAlexW3020015603

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.