A common diabetes medication, metformin, slows the growth of precancerous cells in the oesophagus while some metabolic conditions accelerate it, suggests a new study. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute discovered that metformin reduced the growth of potentially cancerous cells both in mice and laboratory experiments. The team also found that metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity could enhance the growth advantage of these altered cells in human samples.
The findings, recently published in Nature Genetics , highlight the potential role of metformin and overall metabolic health in managing squamous oesophageal cancer risk. Researchers suggest the drug may be beneficial beyond its role in diabetes, though more research is needed. There are around 9,200 new oesophageal cancer cases diagnosed in the UK each year, about a fifth of these are squamous carcinomas.
Patients have a poor survival rate – only around 17 per cent of those in England survive for five years or more 1 . These cancers arise from mutated cells present in the oesophagus. As we age, our body's cells naturally accumulate genetic changes.
While most are harmless, some can give cells a growth advantage and may lead to age-related diseases like cancer over time. A gene called PIK3CA is one known to play a major role in cell growth 2 . When mutations occur in this gene, they cause cells to multiply rapidly, and can lead to cancer of the ovary, breast, lung, brain, and oesophagus.
In this new s.