title: Metformin: a case of divide and conquer.
abstract: Metformin is a widely prescribed anti-diabetic drug and its use is associated with lower cancer incidence. The mechanisms by which metformin attenuates tumorigenesis are not clearly understood. In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Hirsch and colleagues show that metformin interferes with a signaling pathway, mediated by the transcription factor NF-κB, which drives cell transformation and is required for the maintenance of cancer stem cells.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anastasiou
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin