Effect of metformin on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer

Abstract

Objective To study the effect of oral metformin on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Methods The clinical data of 364 patients with gastric cancer admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University from January 2013 to December 2017 were collected.The patients were divided into metformin group (31 cases), non-metformin group (35 cases) and non-diabetic group (298 cases) according to whether they were diabetes or treated with metformin.The mortality and survival of the three groups were compared. Results The mortality rate was 12.9%(4/31) in the metformin group, 74.3%(26/35) in the non-metformin group, 52.0%(155/298) in the non-diabetic group, and the mortality rate in the metformin group was lower than that in the other two groups, the differences were statistically significant(χ2=10.081, P=0.001; χ2=7.681, P=0.006), and the metformin group had the lowest mortality rate.There was no statistically significant difference between the non-metformin group and the non-diabetic group (χ2=1.665, P=0.197). The survival time of the metformin group, non-metformin group and non-diabetic group were (29.017±16.254) months, (9.692±10.355) months and (16.748±8.526)months, respectively.The survival time of the metformin group was longer than that of the non-metformin group (t=5.827, P=0.000) and the non-diabetic group (t=6.843, P=0.000), and the survival time of the non-diabetic group was longer than that of the non-metformin group (t=4.523, P=0.000), and the overall survival of patients in the metformin group was prolonged.Clinical staging, treatment of gastric cancer, alcohol consumption and oral metformin treatment were independent factors influencing the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Conclusion Oral metformin can improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer and prolong the life of patients. Key words: Stomach neoplasms; Hypoglycemic agents; Metformin; Diabetes mellitus, type 2; Survival rate; Mortality; Prognosis