Long-term use of metformin may lower women's risk of pancreatic cancer
Diabetics can save money on their medical bills by purchasing cheap Canadian drugs, which can be more cost-efficient than American options.
Diabetics can save money on their medical bills by purchasing cheap Canadian drugs, which can be more cost-efficient than American options. Long-term use of these medications, such as metformin, may have a range of additional health benefits. One team of researchers discovered that metformin may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer in women, as reported in HealthDay.
In order to investigate possible risk factors for pancreatic cancer, the scientists analyzed data collected from the British "General Practice Research Database." They focused on 2,800 patients who developed pancreatic cancer and compared them to 16,600 individuals without the disease.
Results showed that risk for this malignancy went down in women who took metformin long-term. However, risk went up with the long-term use of sulfonylureas in women, as well as long-term use of insulin in men. Short-term therapy did not affect the risk of pancreatic cancer, as published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. However independent experts caution that these associations do not necessarily confirm a cause-and-effect relationship.
Past studies have also made associations between metformin and risk reduction for breast and ovarian malignancies, according to HealthDay.
In 2012, an estimated 44,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
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