Role of Adding Metformin to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer (METNEO)
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2020-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Metformin, the widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic drug, is well known for its established
efficacy, favorable safety profile, and low cost. Metformin has recently received increasing
attention because of its potential antitumorigenic effects that are thought to be independent
of its hypoglycemic effects. It has been extensively studied in preclinical models, which
have implicated several molecular pathways in its antitumor activity.
Metformin was proved to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on tumor
cells.Moreover, metformin enhances the T-cell mediated immune response to tumor tissue and
fights metastases. Also, epidemiological studies have shown that metformin, but not other
antidiabetic drugs, reduces cancer incidence and improves survivability in diabetic cancer
patients.
The proposed research in this application will investigate two prime questions with regards
to the combined use of metformin together with traditional neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast
cancer patients. First, the hypothesis that the simultaneous use of metformin along with
doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/paclitaxel neoadjuvant protocol produces better antitumor
outcomes will be tested. Second, the study will examine if the improved apoptotic effect of
such regimen is paralleled by exaggerated stimulatory influences on apoptosis biomarkers.