In nonsmokers with diabetes, patients who used metformin had a decreased risk of lung cancer, according to Dr. Lori Sakoda and associates at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, Calif.
In a retrospective cohort study of 47,351 diabetic patients, 46% were metformin users. In total, 747 patients were diagnosed with lung cancer during follow-up of 15 years, including 80 nonsmokers and 203 current smokers. Metformin use was associated with a 43% lower lung cancer risk in diabetic nonsmokers, with risk continuing to decrease with longer use of the drug. Metformin use was not associated with lower lung cancer risk overall.
These results suggest that the risks associated with metformin may vary according to a patient’s smoking history, Dr. Sakoda said. Read the full article at: http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/.