Metformin May Lower Diabetics’ Odds for Pancreatic Cancer

SUNDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) — Metformin, one of the most widely useddiabetes drugs, may offer patients the added benefit of lowering their odds for pancreatic cancer by 60 percent, a new study shows.

But the study had a downside: Other common treatments, including the use ofinsulin or insulin-releasing medications such as sulfonylureas, seemed to boost diabetics’ risk for the deadly malignancy.

“We have been long interested in the association between diabetes and pancreatic cancer,” explained study lead author Donghui Li, a professor in the department of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “It’s a very complicated association because pancreatic cancer can cause diabetes, while on the other hand diabetics have a higher risk for pancreatic cancer. So it’s been quite controversial, and the question is: What can we do to reduce this risk?”

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