A common drug used to treat type 2 diabetes can be a “protective agent against non-melanoma skin cancer”, a new study has shown.
Researchers have found that people using metformin are less at risk of developing two of the most common skin cancers – basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer.
Lead author Dr Tiffany Libby said: “This study strengthens the evidence supporting metformin’s potential as a protective agent against non-melanoma skin cancer.”
Metformin is a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
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It is also used to help prevent type 2 diabetes if you’re at high risk of developing it.
Each year in the US, a total of 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed, the American Cancer Society has reported.
Between 2,000 and 8,000 people die from skin cancers that are not melanoma each year in the US, data has shown.
During the trial, the team of academics examined the health outcomes of a healthy control group, 8,000 people with basal cell cancer and 4,100 individuals with squamous cell cancer.
They found that the participants using metformin were less likely to develop skin cancer compared to those not using the drug.
Black people using metformin were not protected from developing squamous cell cancer, according to the findings.
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The authors said: “This discrepancy could stem from the fact that squamous cell cancer in these patients often develops in sun protected areas and is strongly linked to chronic scarring and inflammation, factors that may not be influenced by metformin use.”
Skin cancer is less likely among metformin users because the drug can regulate mechanisms that block cancer cells’ access to energy and nutrients, or by blocking the ability of cancer cells to grow and proliferate, the researchers have claimed.
The authors noted: “In conclusion, our results suggest that further research may be warranted to consider metformin as a chemo preventive agent.”
Read the full study in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.