American researchers have found that certain diabetes medications, including metformin, may slow the progression of lung cancer and lengthen survival.
The researchers studied more than 600 people with diabetes and lung cancer to see how they reacted to metformin and thiazolidedione.
Overall, people who took these drugs were less likely to get lung cancer. Those with lung cancer were less likely to have it spread and had longer survival if they were on one of the diabetes drugs before their diagnosis.
The reason why diabetes drugs reduce the risk of lung cancer is not known for sure but it has also been confirmed in many other studies, some with larger groups of patients.
Some research has shown metformin to act on the pathway which regulates cell growth and survival in lung tumours.