Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40408000›Full record

ArticleDiscover oncology2025

Association of metformin with risk of digestive tract cancers from a drug target mendelian randomization and cell experiments.

Yifei Wang, Xirong Cao, Jie Ren, Rui Chen, Xing Zhang, Chang Liu, Yifan Jia, Ting Lin

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Discover oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

8 authors.

Yifei WangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Xirong CaoDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Jie RenDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Rui ChenDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Xing ZhangDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Chang LiuDepartment of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Yifan JiaKey Laboratory of Surgical Critical Care and Life Support (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an , 710061, Shaanxi, China. jiayifanivan@foxmail.com.
Ting LinKey Laboratory of Surgical Critical Care and Life Support (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education, Xi'an , 710061, Shaanxi, China. linda_ting@xjtufh.edu.cn.

Funding

Shaanxi Province Natural Science Basic Research Program S2022-JC-QN-1528Shaanxi Province two-chain integration key special research program 2021LL-JB-06
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDigestive tract cancers account for a significant proportion of the global cancer burden, and their prevention and treatment pose a worldwide challenge. Metformin, as a first-line treatment for diabetes, offers advantages such as high safety and affordability. Previous research has suggested that the use of metformin may reduce the risk of cancers, but there is still a lack of strong evidence regarding its causal relationship with digestive tract cancers.

methodsWe employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationships between metformin use and various digestive tract cancers. We selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to the Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is associated with the action of metformin, as instrumental variables. The inverse variance-weighted method (IVW) was the most important method. Cochran's Q was used to detect heterogeneity, and the MR-PRESSO test and MR-Egger regression were used to detect horizontal pleiotropy. Subsequently, we verified the toxicity and proliferation inhibition of metformin on Huh 7 and PLC in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

resultsIVW results showed that metformin use reduced the risk of liver and bile duct cancers (OR = 0.994, 95% CI 0.990-0.999; P = 0.008), but there were no causal relationships with other digestive tract cancers. Our cell experiments have confirmed this point.

conclusionMetformin may be used for the prevention or treatment of liver and bile duct cancers.

Indexed as

AMPKDigestive tract cancerMendelian randomizationMetformin

Identifiers

PMID40408000
PMCPMC12102028

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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.