Geroprotection in cancer prevention

Clinical records from individuals followed for 5 years, 2000 to 2005, were reviewed. They were distributed in 3 cohorts of ages ranging from 51 to 60, 61 to 70, and 71 to 80 years, respectively. Each cohort included 2 groups of patients with diabetes type 2, one group treated with Metformin 850 mg/day, and the other one without pharmacological treatment. In all groups, for each individual, the mean variation of glycosylated hemoglobin, ferritin, lymphocyte count, total and subpopulations, was determined in blood using the measurement at the beginning and at the end of the 5-year follow-up. The number of all living individuals and cancer cases were also recorded in all groups at the end of the 5-year period. The results were consistent with the reported significance as biomarkers of aging of: the increase of glycosylated hemoglobin and ferritin, the decrease of the number of total lymphocytes and CD8+T, and the increase of T-Regulators. In this preliminary observation, the protection of Metformin on the variations of aging biomarkers was associated with survival and decline of malignancy incidence.