Cohort Study of Antihyperglycemic Medication and Pancreatic Cancer Patients Survival

Audrius Dulskas, Ausvydas Patasius, Donata Linkeviciute-Ulinskiene, Lina Zabuliene and Giedre Smailyte
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Audrius Dulskas: Department of Abdominal and General Surgery and Oncology, National Cancer Institute, 1 Santariskiu Str., LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
Ausvydas Patasius: Laboratory of Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Institute, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
Donata Linkeviciute-Ulinskiene: Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania
Lina Zabuliene: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, 1 Santariskiu Str., LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
Giedre Smailyte: Laboratory of Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Institute, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-11

Abstract: Background: We assessed the association between the use of metformin and other antihyperglycemic medications on overall survival in diabetic patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods: Patients with pancreatic cancer and diabetes between 2000 and 2015 were identified from the Lithuanian Cancer Registry and the National Health Insurance Fund database. Cohort members were classified into six groups according to type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment: sulfonylurea monotherapy; metformin monotherapy; insulin monotherapy; metformin and sulfonylurea combination; metformin and other antihyperglycemic medications; all other combinations of oral antihyperglycemic medications. Survival was calculated from the date of cancer diagnosis to the date of death or the end of follow-up (31 December 2018). Results: Study group included 454 diabetic patients with pancreatic cancer. We found no statistically significant differences in overall survival between patients by glucose-lowering therapy. However, highest mortality risk was observed in patients on insulin monotherapy, and better survival was observed in the groups of patients using antihyperglycemic medication combinations, metformin alone, and metformin in combination with sulfonylurea. Analysis by cumulative dose of metformin showed significantly lower mortality risk in the highest cumulative dose category (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.58–0.99). Conclusions: Our study showed that metformin might have a survival benefit for pancreatic cancer patients, suggesting a potentially available option for the treatment.

Keywords: pancreatic cancer; metformin; population-based study; antihyperglycemic medications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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