title: [Effect of metformin addition to an acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemotherapy treatment].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently it has been reported a benefit effect with the use of metformin in patients with malignant disease. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of adding metformin to chemotherapy regimen over the percentage of early relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, longitudinal and experimental study was performed in patients with de novo acute lymphoblastic leukemia enrolled in the Hospital General de México. They were divided in two groups: first group received chemotherapy + metformin (850 mg three times a day); second group only received standard chemotherapy. The sample was randomized 3:1 in favor of the second group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  93 patients were included (73 treated with chemotherapy + metformin and 20 received standard chemotherapy), with 303 ± 53 days of follow-up. Complete remission was higher in the group without metformin (81.3 % [n = 61] versus 70 % [n = 14]), which also presented more patients with relapse (47.9 % versus 25 %). Overall survival at one year was of 68 % and free survival disease was 64 %, without significant differences between groups. Absence of metformin was the only variable of adverse prognostic considered significant (p = 0.55). Cox regression showed that adding metfomin reduced 56 % the risk of relapse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adding metformin to the treatment of leukemias showed that was useful in our research. However, randomized and double-blind studies must be designed in order to express final recommendations about its use.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Hematología, Hospital General de México, Secretaría de Salud. Distrito Federal, México. leukemiachop@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Christian Omar
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Ramos-Peñafiel
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martínez-Murillo
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoyo-Sánchez
authors.forename: Fiacro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Ponce
authors.forename: Etta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rozen-Fuller
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Collazo-Jaloma
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Olarte-Carrillo
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Tovar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008687:Metformin
keywords: Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocols; Metformin; Precursor cell lymphoblastic leukemia-lymphoma