Diabetes Drug Can Also Combat Cancer

Fri, 03 Sep 2010
An relatively cheap drug used for treatment of type 2 diabetes may also be able to combat cancer, with two new research studies suggesting that it can combat colon cancer as well as prevent the likelihood of lung cancer in smokers.

The drug, known as metformin, is sold as Glucophage.

It is a common drug amongst type 2 diabetics who overproduce insulin .

However, brand new research from the American National Cancer Institute has discovered that metformin can also combat growth of lung cancer tumours in mice which have been exposed to a common carcinogen in cigarettes.

It has previously been known that Metformin can activate an enzyme which can inhibit a protein which regulates cell growth and survival in tobacco-induced lung tumours.

Scientists consider that the drug works by targeting a cancer tumour's stem cells which, should they not be killed off, can permit multiple cancer cell types to regenerate.

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