Prof Alastair Thompson talks to ecancer about the effects of metformin and AMP kinase on the survival rates in breast cancer at IMPAKT 2012 in Brussels, May 2012.

Metformin, normally used as an anti-diabetes drug, has shown large effects on breast cancer. Prof Thompson notes that patients who take metformin for their diabetes have lower instance of cancer, improved outcome with chemotherapy and higher survival rate.

The molecular mechanisms of metformin work through AMP kinase though research does not show if it has a direct effect on the cancer or the feeding of cancer cells. Metformin is known to reduce proliferation in cancer cells in women.

Overall, the potential effect of metformin is a 5 to 10 % reduction in events and recurrence with a substantial increase in survival, as well as evidence from human studies showing that metformin works on all breast cancers, including triple negative cancer, and a number of other cancers.

Filming Supported by Amgen