Bhat M, Chaiteerakij R, Harmsen WS, Schleck CD, Yang JD, Giama NH, Therneau TM, Gores GJ, Roberts LR. Metformin does not improve survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
World J Gastroenterol 2014;
20:15750-5. [PMID:
25400459 PMCID:
PMC4229540 DOI:
10.3748/wjg.v20.i42.15750]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Revised: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM
To assess whether metformin, which has a chemopreventive effect in chronic liver disease, has any chemotherapeutic effect in hepatocellular carcinoma.
METHODS
This was a retrospective study of 701 patients with newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seen between January 2005 and June 2011 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. This patient cohort was a part of the global HCC BRIDGE study, which is a large longitudinal study of HCC determining the real-world experience of HCC characteristics, management and patient outcomes. We defined significant metformin exposure as continuation of this agent at least 90 d beyond diagnosis of HCC, and compared survival of diabetic patients on metformin to diabetic patients not on metformin and non-diabetics.
RESULTS
Our cohort was 72.9% male, with a mean ± SD age of 62.6 ± 12.3 years. The most common etiologies of liver disease were hepatitis C (34%), alcoholic liver disease (29%), fatty liver disease (15%) and hepatitis B (9%). By univariate analysis, using diabetics not on metformin as the reference group, diabetic patients with HCC on metformin had no survival advantage, with a HR (95%CI) of 1.0 (0.8-1.3). Non-diabetic HCC patients also did not appear to have a survival advantage as compared to diabetic HCC patients not on metformin, as demonstrated by a HR (95%CI) of 1.1 (0.7-1.7). Diabetics on metformin beyond 90 d after HCC diagnosis had a longer median survival at 34.2 mo, as compared to 25.5 mo among diabetic patients who were not on metformin or had discontinued metformin within 90 d after HCC diagnosis. This finding was likely due to potential survival bias among those who lived long enough to receive metformin.
CONCLUSION
Although the literature suggests a chemotherapeutic effect in other malignancies, our study demonstrates no survival benefit to the use of metformin in diabetic patients with HCC.
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