Table 2.
Effect of metformin in targeting cancers.
| Types of cancer | Research object | Effects | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Human cell lines (UMUC3 and J82 cells) | Block bladder cancer growth and survival through SREBP-1c/FASN axis by targeting the expression of clusterin. | 79 |
| Lung cancer | Human (Clinical research) | Associated with low risk of lung cancer; Co-treatment with EGFR-TKIs therapy could improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. | 78, 188 |
| Colorectal cancer | Human (Meta-analysis) | Reduce the risk of colorectal cancer and improve the survival rate of colorectal cancer patients. | 75 |
| Leukemia | Human cell lines (MMCLs) | Co-treatment with bortezomib could enhance the anti-myeloma effect of it leading to delaying the growth of myeloma xenotransplants. | 189 |
| Breast cancer | Human (Clinical research) | Metformin could reduce the risk of breast cancer based on patient's hormone levels. | 71, 72 |
| Esophageal cancer | Human (Clinical research: cohort study) | Metformin use decreases the risk of developing esophageal cancer, especially in new metformin users and participants aged 60-69 years. | 77 |
| Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma | Human (Clinical research) | The effect of metformin to treat pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is mixed. | 68-70 |
| Endometrial cancer | Human (Clinical research: Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial) | Co-treatment with everolimus, letrozole could result in a higher rate of clinical benefit for women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. | 190 |
| Melanoma | Human cell lines (A2058 and A375) | Inhibit melanoma cancer cell motility and growth through inducing cell cycle arrest and promoting cell apoptosis. | 191 |
| Thyroid Cancer | Human cell lines (FTC133 and BCPAP) | Inhibit growth of thyroid cancer cells by downregulating the expression of mGPDH and inhibiting OXPHOS in vitro and in vivo. | 192 |
| Osteosarcoma | Human and mice cell lines (MG63 and K7M2) | Suppress the self-renew of osteosarcoma stem cells through ROS-mediated apoptosis and autophagy. | 193 |
| Primary bone cancer | Human (Clinical research: retrospective cohort study) | Reduce the risk of primary bone cancer in men with T2D aged more than 60 years. | 194 |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma | Human cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7 and 293FT) | Suppress the growth and increase cell death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by elevating oxidative phosphorylation. | 195 |
| Gastric Cancer | Human (Clinical research) | Decrease the cancer-specific mortality rates, recurrence and all-cause mortality of gastric cancer patients with diabetes who underwent gastrectomy. | 196 |
| Ovarian Cancer | Human cell lines (SKOV3, OVCAR3 and HO8910) | Induce cancer cells apoptosis through triggering endoplasmic reticulum stress. | 197 |
| Kidney cancer | Human (Clinical research: cohort study) | Reduce the risk of kidney cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes. | 198 |
| Prostate cancer | Human (Clinical research: cohort study) | Reduce the risk of prostate cancer among men with type 2 diabetes. | 199 |