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Pancreatic cancer risk decreased by one anti-diabetic therapy, increased by others
August 03, 2009The antidiabetic medication metformin is associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer in diabetics, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. However, other commonly used therapies, such as insulin or insulin secretagogues, may be associated with increased risk for the deadly disease.
"The current study demonstrated a robust protective effect of metformin against pancreatic cancer in diabetes. Our major observations were that diabetics who ever used metformin, especially those with greater than five years of use, had a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to diabetics who had not taken these drugs," said Donghui Li, PhD, of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and lead author of the study. "This adds evidence to previous study findings indicating that antidiabetic therapy can affect the development of cancer."
Study authors found that diabetics who took metformin had a 60 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer, compared with those that had not taken metformin. This difference remained statistically significant when the analysis was restricted to patients with duration of diabetes greater than two years or those who never used insulin. Other diabetes-associated factors, including history of smoking, overweight or obesity, and glycemic control, did not have a significant effect on the relationship between metformin use and pancreatic cancer risk. In contrast, diabetics who had taken insulin or insulin secretagogues had 4.99- and 2.52-fold increased risks for pancreatic cancer, respectively, compared with never-users.
This hospital-based, case-control study, conducted at M. D. Anderson from 2004 through 2008, involved 973 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (including 259 diabetics) and 863 controls (including 109 diabetics). Pancreatic cancer risk was estimated using unconditional logistic regression analysis.
"Further study is needed in other study populations to confirm or refute a possible role of antidiabetic therapy in pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic cancer is a rapidly fatal, but a relatively uncommon cancer, epidemiological research on this disease is challenging," Dr. Li added. "If the finding that metformin is protective against pancreatic cancer is confirmed, metformin may offer a tool for the primary prevention of pancreatic cancer among people with type II diabetes."
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer for both men and women in the U.S. The association of type II diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer is complex. On one hand, type II diabetes can occur as a consequence of pancreatic cancer. On the other hand, there is accumulating evidence to strongly support a significant role of type II diabetes in pancreatic carcinogenesis.
American Gastroenterological Association
This hospital-based, case-control study, conducted at M. D. Anderson from 2004 through 2008, involved 973 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (including 259 diabetics) and 863 controls (including 109 diabetics). Pancreatic cancer risk was estimated using unconditional logistic regression analysis.
"Further study is needed in other study populations to confirm or refute a possible role of antidiabetic therapy in pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic cancer is a rapidly fatal, but a relatively uncommon cancer, epidemiological research on this disease is challenging," Dr. Li added. "If the finding that metformin is protective against pancreatic cancer is confirmed, metformin may offer a tool for the primary prevention of pancreatic cancer among people with type II diabetes."
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer for both men and women in the U.S. The association of type II diabetes mellitus and pancreatic cancer is complex. On one hand, type II diabetes can occur as a consequence of pancreatic cancer. On the other hand, there is accumulating evidence to strongly support a significant role of type II diabetes in pancreatic carcinogenesis.
American Gastroenterological Association
Pancreatic Cancer Current Events and Pancreatic Cancer News RSSAfrican-Americans with colorectal cancer have poorer outcomes, lower survival rates
New research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgical procedures compared with Caucasians, suggesting that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans.
Discovery offers potential new pancreatic cancer treatment
Tiny particles that can carry drugs and target cancer cells may offer treatment hope for those suffering with pancreatic cancer. New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein.
Hepatitis B does not increase risk for pancreatic cancer
A Henry Ford Hospital study found that hepatitis B does not increase the risk for pancreatic cancer - and that only age is a contributing factor.
M. D. Anderson examines use of toad venom in cancer treatment
Huachansu, a Chinese medicine that comes from the dried venom secreted by the skin glands of toads, has tolerable toxicity levels, even at doses eight times those normally administered, and may slow disease progression in some cancer patients, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Pancreatic cancer: Researchers find drug that reverses resistance to chemotherapy
For the first time researchers have shown that by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called TAK-1, it is possible to make pancreatic cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy, opening the way for the development of a new drug to treat the disease.
Endothelin-1 inhibitors in chronic pancreatitis
Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour.
Autoimmune response can induce pancreatic tumor rejection
Immune responses are capable of killing tumors before they can be directed toward normal body tissue, according to new scientific findings published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
MicroRNAs circulating in blood show promise as biomarkers to detect pancreatic cancer
A blood test for small molecules abnormally expressed in pancreatic cancer may be a promising route to early detection of the disease.
Blood-flow metabolism mismatch predicts pancreatic tumor aggressiveness
Researchers from Turku, Finland, have identified a blood-flow glucose consumption mismatch that predicted pancreatic tumor aggressiveness, according to results of a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Taking the Needle's Sting Out of Diabetes
Found in 30% of all human cancer tumors, the Ras protein literally "drives cells crazy," says Prof. Yoel Kloog, the dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. Prof. Kloog was the first in the world to develop an effective anti-Ras drug against pancreatic cancer, currently in clinical trials.
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