"This important laboratory study, together with prior laboratory and epidemiology research, suggests that metformin may be useful in cancer prevention and treatment. There is new information available about the mechanisms by which this drug, which is based on compounds present in lilac, may be useful for cancer control."

Jeffrey A. Engelman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the centers for thoracic cancers at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of an accompanying editorial published in Cancer Prevention Research:

"Previous epidemiology studies have shown that diabetics taking metformin have a lower risk of developing cancer. In this study, researchers carefully controlled for glucose levels, which suggests that the effect may be seen beyond the diabetic population."

Lewis Cantley, Ph.D., director of the cancer center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and co-author of an accompanying editorial also published in Cancer Prevention Research:

"Targeted therapies have impacted the course of cancer treatments, but they have yet to be widely utilized as agents for chemoprevention. As we work to better understand the mechanisms of action, therapies like metformin hold promise for delaying or preventing cancer progression and having a substantial, beneficial impact on cancer mortality."

SOURCE American Association for Cancer Research