ArticleBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2023
Tumour, whole-blood, plasma and tissue concentrations of metformin in lung cancer patients.
Article in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Metformin and its derivatives in breast cancer: from glycaemic control to tumor-intrinsic pathways.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2025Review
- The Toxicity Effects of Metformin and the Bioremediation of Metformin in Aquatic Plant Duckweed.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Pleiotropic Effects of Metformin on the Chemotherapy Response of HPV-Positive Cancer Cells.Journal of medical virology · 2025Article
- Article
- Factors contributing to variability in metformin concentration in polycystic ovary syndrome.Croatian medical journal · 2024Article
- Aging, cancer, and autophagy: connections and therapeutic perspectives.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2024Review
- Triple Therapy with Metformin, Ketogenic Diet, and Metronomic Cyclophosphamide Reduced Tumor Growth in MYCN-Amplified Neuroblastoma Xenografts.Metabolites · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
aimMetformin is used for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is being tested clinically as an anticancer agent. Metformin concentrations safely achievable in human solid tissues including tumours are unknown. This study was designed to determine metformin concentration in tissue compartments as a function of dose to inform rational dosing in preclinical models and interpretation of clinical results."
methodsSubjects with solid tumours to be treated by resection and either (A) willingness to take metformin for 7-10 days before surgery or (B) taking metformin for T2DM were eligible. Whole blood, plasma, tumour, tumour-adjacent uninvolved tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue were obtained for liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry to measure metformin concentrations.
resultsAll subjects had primary lung tumours. Metformin dose was significantly correlated with drug concentrations in all tissues analysed. Intersubject metformin concentrations varied by over two orders of magnitude. Metformin concentrations were significantly higher in tumour tissues and lower in adipose tissues compared to other tissues. Concentrations in blood and plasma were significantly correlated with concentrations in solid tissues.
conclusionMetformin accumulates in cellular compartments. Concentrations observed in plasma, blood, lung and tumour tissues in subjects treated with US Food and Drug Administration-approved doses for T2DM are lower than those typically used in tissue culture studies. However, such tissue concentrations are in line with those found within cultured cells treated with supra-pharmacological doses of metformin. Given the large intersubject variability in metformin concentrations, it is imperative to determine whether there is an association between tissue metformin concentration and anticancer activity in humans.
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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.