Metformin in diabetic pancreatic cancer patients: Benefit or not—Multicenter experience.

Abstract

e15110 Background: Risk factors for the pancreatic cancer are cigarette smoking, obesity, family history, chronic pancreatitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is associated with 2-3 fold increase in the risk of pancreas cancer development. Down-regulation of mTOR pathway which begins with the insulin signaling is the possible protective effect of metformin in the oncogenesis of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether the use of metformin in diabetic pancreas cancer patients has an advantage or not. Methods: The data of 467 patients with the diagnosis of pancreas cancer in from 2003 to 2012 were analyzed, retrospectively. Results: Four hundred and sixty seven patients with the median age of 62 (20-85) were reviewed Median tumour size was 42 mm (14-145 mm). According to 2010 TNM staging, 23 patients had stage 1 (4.9%), 97 patients stage 2 (20.8%), 70 patients stage 3 (15%) and 277 patients had stage 4 disease (59.3%). Diabetes mellitus was detected in 173 (37%) patients. In this group 23 patients had stage 1 (4.9%), 97 patients stage 2 (20.8%), 70 patients stage 3 (15%) and 98 patients had stage 4 disease (56.6%). Thirty seven percent (64 patients) of the patients with diabetes were using metformin. Median time for metformin usage was 14±2,3 months. Median follow-up time was 7 months (1-88 months). Median overall survival (OS) of all pancreas cancer patients was 8 months. Surprisingly, median OS of diabetic pancreas cancer patients and non-diabetics was 9 and 8 months, respectively (statistically not significant). Median OS of diabetic patient subgroup who use metformin or not was 7 versus 10 months, respectively (statistically not significant). In the subgroup of stage 3 pancreatic cancer patients with diabetes mellitus, the median OS were 16 months and 10 months according to metformin usage or not, respectively (p=02). Conclusions: In this study, the median OS of diabetic pancreas cancer patients was superior from the non-diabetics. Multi-center prospective trials including large number of patients are needed to understand well enough the benefit of metformin in diabetic pancreas carcinoma patients.