Antidiabetic Drugs in Breast Cancer Patients

Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jan 10;16(2):299. doi: 10.3390/cancers16020299.

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the leading chronic conditions worldwide, and breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. The linkage between diabetes and its ability to increase the risk of breast cancer should always be analyzed in patients. This review focuses on the impact of antihyperglycemic therapy in breast cancer patients. Patients with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cancer than the general population. Moreover, diabetes patients have a higher incidence and mortality of breast cancer. In this review, we describe the influence of antidiabetic drugs from insulin and metformin to the current and emerging therapies, incretins and SGLT-2 inhibitors, on breast cancer prognosis. We also emphasize the role of obesity and the metastasis process in breast cancer patients who are treated with antidiabetic drugs.

Keywords: antidiabetic drugs; breast cancer; diabetes; gliflozins; incretin agonists; insulin; metastasis; metformin; sulfonylureas; thiazolidinediones.

Publication types

  • Review