Effect of metformin on the incidence of head and neck cancer in diabetics

Yung-Chang Yen; Charlene Lin; Shih-Wei Lin; Yung-Song Lin; Shih-Feng Weng

doi:10.1002/hed.23743

Effect of metformin on the incidence of head and neck cancer in diabetics

Head Neck. 2015 Sep;37(9):1268-73. doi: 10.1002/hed.23743. Epub 2014 Jul 11.

Authors

Yung-Chang Yen¹, Charlene Lin², Shih-Wei Lin³, Yung-Song Lin^{4

5}, Shih-Feng Weng^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Chi Mei Medical Centre, Liou-Ying, Tainan City, Taiwan.
² Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California.
³ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Hospital and Health Care Administration, Chia-Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan.

PMID: 24801563
DOI: 10.1002/hed.23743

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of metformin on head and neck cancer in patients with diabetes.

Methods: We compared 66,600 patients, all with diabetes and all newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2002. Half were being treated with metformin for diabetes (Met(+) ) and half were not (Met(-) : controls). All were matched for comorbidities (obesity, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension), sex, and age. The risk of head and neck cancer at the end of 2011 was determined.

Results: The incidence of head and neck cancer was 34% lower in the Met(+) cohort than in the Met(-) cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55-0.79). The risks for oropharyngeal cancer (adjusted HR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.17-0.74) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC; adjusted HR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.31-0.80) were significantly lower in the Met(+) cohort than in the Met(-) cohort.

Conclusion: Metformin is associated with a lower risk of developing head and neck cancer in patients with diabetes.

Keywords: diabetes; head and neck cancer; metformin; nasopharyngeal carcinoma; oral cancer.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Case-Control Studies
Comorbidity
Diabetes Mellitus / diagnosis
Diabetes Mellitus / drug therapy*
Diabetes Mellitus / epidemiology*
Disease-Free Survival
Female
Head and Neck Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Head and Neck Neoplasms / epidemiology*
Head and Neck Neoplasms / pathology
Head and Neck Neoplasms / surgery
Humans
Hypoglycemic Agents / therapeutic use*
Incidence
Male
Metformin / therapeutic use*
Middle Aged
Poisson Distribution
Prognosis
Proportional Hazards Models
Prospective Studies
Risk Assessment
Sex Distribution
Survival Analysis
Taiwan / epidemiology
Treatment Outcome

Substances

Hypoglycemic Agents
Metformin