MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Iris L. Romero MD MS
Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Section of General Gynecology
The University of Chicago Medicine
Chicago, IL
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Romero: There is increasing epidemiologic and preclinical data indicating that the commonly used diabetic drug, metformin, may have anticancer effects. In ovarian cancer, in 2011 in
Obstetrics & Gynecology we reported that in a retrospective cohort ovarian cancer patients that were using metformin had increased survival compared to those not using mefomrin. In this study, we expand on those findings by testing whether metformin can prevent ovarian cancer or improve response to chemotherapy in mouse models.
In a prevention study, we found that mice treated with metformin before cancer was initiated developed less tumor than those treated with placebo. In a treatment study, in vitro,
metformin increased the cytotoxic effect of paclitaxel. In addition, using a genetic mouse model we show that the combination of paclitaxel plus metformin results in a greater tumor reduction than either drug used alone.
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