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Metformin: Adjunct Therapy in Cancer Treatment
11 California State University, Monterey Bay.
Abstract:
An employee undergoing cancer treatment was prescribed metformin, a medication used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and currently used as adjunct therapy for cancer. Metformin's anti-inflammatory properties inhibit tumor growth. It is speculated that cancer cells develop a metabolism that enhances aerobic glycolysis, which promotes cell growth and increases the need for glucose. Metformin decreases insulin in the blood, which decreases the amount of glucose available to cancer cells, thus starving the cells of nutrition, resulting in cell death. This case study explores the role of metformin in cancer treatment, with implications for occupational health nurses.
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