Leading News in Pharmacy

Research indicates metformin combined with doxorubicin may kill breast cancer stem cells, delay recurrence.

The Wall Street Journal (9/15, Winslow, subscription required) reports that the diabetes drug metformin, when combined with chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, may shrink breast-cancer tumors and keep them from coming back more effectively than chemotherapy alone, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Research. Researchers reported that the combination treatment killed cancer stem cells in addition to regular cancer cells.

HealthDay (9/14, Gardner) noted that for the study, researchers treated "mice with breast cancer" with metformin and doxorubicin simultaneously. The mice "showed reductions in tumor size in four types of breast cancer, as well as longer remission times."

Notably, "mice treated with the combination" remained "cancer-free for four months, unlike mice treated with either drug alone," WebMD (9/14, DeNoon) reported. The researchers also noted that "metformin and standard chemotherapy" may "make each other work better," so "metformin could be used with lower doses of chemotherapy." AFP (9/14) also covered the story.