Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Nan Mu
    • Tingting Xu
    • Mingxiao Gao
    • Mei Dong
    • Qing Tang
    • Li Hao
    • Guiqing Wang
    • Zenghui Li
    • Wenshuang Wang
    • Ying Yang
    • Jianqing Hou
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: August 24, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12017
  • Article Number: 156
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Abstract

The present review aims at reviewing the role of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (EC). According to the literature, excessive estrogen levels and insulin resistance are established risk factors of EC. As a traditional insulin sensitizer and newly discovered anticancer agent, metformin directly and indirectly inhibits the development of EC. The direct mechanisms of metformin include inhibition of the LKB1‑AMP‑activated protein kinase‑mTOR, PI3K‑Akt and insulin‑like growth factor 1‑related signaling pathways, which reduces the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of EC cells. In the indirect mechanism, metformin increases the insulin sensitivity of body tissues and decreases circulating insulin levels. Decreased levels of insulin increase the blood levels of sex hormone binding globulin, which leads to reductions in circulating estrogen and androgens. The aforementioned findings suggest that metformin serves an important role in the treatment of EC. Increased understanding of the mechanism of metformin in EC may provide novel insights into the treatment of this malignancy.
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November-2020
Volume 20 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Mu N, Xu T, Gao M, Dong M, Tang Q, Hao L, Wang G, Li Z, Wang W, Yang Y, Yang Y, et al: Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (Review). Oncol Lett 20: 156, 2020
APA
Mu, N., Xu, T., Gao, M., Dong, M., Tang, Q., Hao, L. ... Hou, J. (2020). Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (Review). Oncology Letters, 20, 156. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12017
MLA
Mu, N., Xu, T., Gao, M., Dong, M., Tang, Q., Hao, L., Wang, G., Li, Z., Wang, W., Yang, Y., Hou, J."Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 20.5 (2020): 156.
Chicago
Mu, N., Xu, T., Gao, M., Dong, M., Tang, Q., Hao, L., Wang, G., Li, Z., Wang, W., Yang, Y., Hou, J."Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer (Review)". Oncology Letters 20, no. 5 (2020): 156. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12017