Metformin is effective against cancer

A company from the Rogel Cancer Center at the University of Michigan has found that metformin can inhibit tumor growth in posterior fossa ependymomas (PFAs) group A, while affecting cellular processes. Ependymoma is a tumor that develops from ependymal cells covering the ventricles of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. Ependymoma is the third most common malignant brain tumor in children.

Many ependymomas are caused not by genetic mutations, but epigenetic changes, therefore, they are a serious problem for treatment and diagnosis. In mice trials, metformin has shown the ability to reduce tumor metabolism and shrink the tumor itself, thereby increasing animal survival. Initial drug resistance has sometimes been observed. However such a resistance has been overcome by adding the panobinostat – an experimental drug for treating various types of cancer.

Source: Medscape