The Effect of Metformin Usage in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving First-line Systemic Therapy.

Abstract

Background/aim: To investigate the effect of metformin usage on progression-free (PFS) and overall (OS) survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving first-line systemic therapy.

Patients and methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18 years or older with histologically confirmed mCRC receiving first-line systemic 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy combined with either anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (bevacizumab) between January 2010 and December 2022. This study examined the effect of metformin on PFS and OS of patients with mCRC.

Results: A total of 134 patients were included, with a median age of 59.5 years; 66.4% of the patients were male, and 23.9% had diabetes. Metformin usage was associated with a significant improvement in median PFS (14.0 vs. 9.9 months, p=0.04) but not in median OS (20.7 vs. 19.5 months, p=0.76). In univariate Cox regression for PFS, metformin usage (hazard ratio=0.62, p=0.04) and anti-EGFR therapy (hazard ratio=0.54, p<0.01) were associated with significantly lower hazard ratios.

Conclusion: Metformin usage in patients with mCRC receiving systemic therapy may improve progression-free survival but does not significantly affect overall survival. This result outlines the potential of metformin in mCRC treatment, especially in enhancing the progression-free survival. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of metformin in systemic treatment of mCRC.