ArticleFrontiers in oncology2023
Metformin is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with melanoma: a retrospective, multi-institutional study.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of metformin on melanoma: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Pooled it
- AI-based digital pathology and spatial proteomics enable precision oncology: A case report of recurrent melanoma in a young patient.NPJ precision oncology · 2026Article
- Life Factors and Melanoma: From the Macroscopic State to the Molecular Mechanism.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Metabolites as agents and targets for cancer immunotherapy.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2025Review
- Mitochondrial bioenergetics and networks in melanoma: an update.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2025Review
- Ghrelin-induced neuronal NPY promotes brain metastasis in lung cancer patients with low BMI.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Drug Repurposing and Nanotechnology for Topical Skin Cancer Treatment: Redirecting toward Targeted and Synergistic Antitumor Effects.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2025Review
- Hypoxia is linked to acquired resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer.The Journal of experimental medicine · 2025Article
- Baseline metabolic signatures predict clinical outcomes in immunotherapy-treated melanoma patients: a pilot study.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Metformin: Beyond Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Cureus · 2024Review
- [Metformin suppresses hypoxia-inducible factor-1Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University · 2024Article
- Multitarget, multiagent PLGA nanoparticles for simultaneous tumor eradication and TME remodeling in a melanoma mouse model.Drug delivery and translational research · 2024Article
- Metformin and its potential influence on cell fate decision between apoptosis and senescence in cancer, with a special emphasis on glioblastoma.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Background: Pre-clinical studies have shown that metformin reduces intratumoral hypoxia, improves T-cell function, and increases sensitivity to PD-1 blockade, and metformin exposure has been associated with improved clinical outcomes in various types of cancer. However, the impact of this drug in diabetic melanoma patients has not yet been fully elucidated. Methods: We reviewed 4,790 diabetic patients with stage I-IV cutaneous melanoma treated at the UPMC-Hillman Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center between 1996-2020. The primary endpoints included recurrence rates, progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) with and without metformin exposure. Tabulated variables included BRAF mutational status, immunotherapy (IMT) by type, and incidence of brain metastases. Results: The five-year incidence of recurrence in stage I/II patients was significantly reduced with metformin exposure (32.3% vs 47.7%, p=0.012). The five-year recurrence rate for stage III patients was also significantly reduced (58.3% vs 77.3%, p=0.013) in the metformin cohort. OS was numerically increased in nearly all stages exposed to metformin, though this did not reach statistical significance. The incidence of brain metastases was significantly lower in the metformin cohort (8.9% vs 14.6%, p=0.039). Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate significantly improved clinical outcomes in diabetic melanoma patients exposed to metformin. Overall, these results provide further rationale for ongoing clinical trials studying the potential augmentation of checkpoint blockade with metformin in advanced melanoma.
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