Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

Introduction: Even in times of new therapy regimes, the overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer remains low. Since the previous studies showed the beneficial effect of metformin medication on the survival of patients with cancer, our objective was to investigate if—and in which way—me...

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Main Authors: Florian Gaertner, Saskia Preissner, Max Heiland, Robert Preissner, Jonas Wüster
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-02-01
Series:Cancers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/5/982
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author Florian Gaertner
Saskia Preissner
Max Heiland
Robert Preissner
Jonas Wüster
author_facet Florian Gaertner
Saskia Preissner
Max Heiland
Robert Preissner
Jonas Wüster
author_sort Florian Gaertner
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Even in times of new therapy regimes, the overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer remains low. Since the previous studies showed the beneficial effect of metformin medication on the survival of patients with cancer, our objective was to investigate if—and in which way—metformin medication affects the overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer. Methods: Clinical data pertaining to patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer (International Classification of Diseases 10 codes C00-C14, C31, and C32) were retrospectively retrieved from the TriNetX network (TriNetX, Cambridge, MA, USA). The initial cohort extracted from the network was stratified into two groups: patients on metformin medication (cohort I), and individuals not on metformin medication (cohort II). The matching criteria included age, gender, BMI, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors, such as nicotine and alcohol abuse/dependence. Kaplan–Meier analysis, risk analysis, and the calculation of odds and hazard ratios were conducted. Additionally, the Hemoglobin A1c values were subject to analysis. Results: Following matching, each cohort comprised 20,416 patients. Cohort I exhibited a higher five-year survival rate at 75.3%, in contrast to cohort II, which registered a rate of 69.8%. The odds ratio was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.75–0.83), and the hazard ratio was 0.78 (95% CI = 0.75–0.82). Conclusion: Metformin medication may correlate with improved five-year survival rates in patients with head and neck cancer. Since potentially influencing factors such as comorbidities and the initial tumor stage were not available, the results of our retrospectively conducted study must be interpreted with caution.
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spelling doaj.art-84d1466087874d81b8a853e21eb1c7332024-03-12T16:41:05ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942024-02-0116598210.3390/cancers16050982Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck CancerFlorian Gaertner0Saskia Preissner1Max Heiland2Robert Preissner3Jonas Wüster4Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, GermanyInstitute of Physiology and Science-IT, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Philippstr. 12, 10115 Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, GermanyIntroduction: Even in times of new therapy regimes, the overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer remains low. Since the previous studies showed the beneficial effect of metformin medication on the survival of patients with cancer, our objective was to investigate if—and in which way—metformin medication affects the overall survival of patients with head and neck cancer. Methods: Clinical data pertaining to patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer (International Classification of Diseases 10 codes C00-C14, C31, and C32) were retrospectively retrieved from the TriNetX network (TriNetX, Cambridge, MA, USA). The initial cohort extracted from the network was stratified into two groups: patients on metformin medication (cohort I), and individuals not on metformin medication (cohort II). The matching criteria included age, gender, BMI, type 2 diabetes, and risk factors, such as nicotine and alcohol abuse/dependence. Kaplan–Meier analysis, risk analysis, and the calculation of odds and hazard ratios were conducted. Additionally, the Hemoglobin A1c values were subject to analysis. Results: Following matching, each cohort comprised 20,416 patients. Cohort I exhibited a higher five-year survival rate at 75.3%, in contrast to cohort II, which registered a rate of 69.8%. The odds ratio was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.75–0.83), and the hazard ratio was 0.78 (95% CI = 0.75–0.82). Conclusion: Metformin medication may correlate with improved five-year survival rates in patients with head and neck cancer. Since potentially influencing factors such as comorbidities and the initial tumor stage were not available, the results of our retrospectively conducted study must be interpreted with caution.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/5/982metformindiabetesHbA1chead and neck cancersurvivalreal-world evidence
spellingShingle Florian Gaertner
Saskia Preissner
Max Heiland
Robert Preissner
Jonas Wüster
Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
Cancers
metformin
diabetes
HbA1c
head and neck cancer
survival
real-world evidence
title Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
title_full Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
title_fullStr Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
title_full_unstemmed Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
title_short Beneficial Effect of Metformin on the Five-Year Survival in about 40,000 Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
title_sort beneficial effect of metformin on the five year survival in about 40 000 patients with head and neck cancer
topic metformin
diabetes
HbA1c
head and neck cancer
survival
real-world evidence
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/16/5/982
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