title: Association between Metformin Use and Mortality after Cervical Cancer in Older Women with Diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To examine the association between metformin use and mortality in patients with diabetes and cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Ontario health databases, a retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted in women with diabetes ≥ age 66 years diagnosed with cervical cancer between 1997 and 2010. The association between metformin exposure and cervical cancer-specific mortality was examined using Fine-Gray regression models, with noncancer death as a competing risk and cumulative metformin use as a time-varying exposure. The association with overall mortality was examined using Cox regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 181 women with diabetes and cervical cancer, there were 129 deaths, including 61 cervical cancer-specific deaths. The median follow-up was 5.8 years (interquartile range 4.2-9.6 years) for surviving patients. Cumulative dose of metformin after cervical cancer diagnosis was independently associated with a decreased risk of cervical cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality in a dose-dependent fashion [HR 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-0.98; and HR 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90-0.996 per each additional 365 g of metformin use, respectively]. There was no significant association between cumulative use of other antidiabetic drugs and cervical cancer-specific mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests an association between cumulative metformin use after cervical cancer diagnosis and lower cervical cancer-specific and overall mortality among older women with diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cumulative dose of metformin use after cervical cancer diagnosis among older women with diabetes may be associated with a significant decrease in mortality. This finding has important implications if validated prospectively, as metformin is inexpensive and can be easily combined with standard treatment for cervical cancer.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kathy.Han@rmp.uhn.on.ca.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Melania
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pintilie
authors.affiliation: Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Institute of Clinical Evaluative Studies, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lorraine L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lipscombe
authors.affiliation: Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Iliana C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Lega
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Milosevic
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anthony W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Fyles
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin