Metformin and Placitaxel is being used in a phase II Clinical trial in Brazil for Recurrent or Metatstic Head and Neck Cancer. I used Metformin when I was first diagnosed with diabetes in the 90's, and is usually the first line of treatment in type II diabetes. Unfortionetly, as with most oral diabetes medications, they stop working sometimes, and I went on insulin, but maybe I'll look into adding it.

Anyway, hopefully there are additional findings with Metformin, which I believe is only being used with chemo in clinical trials now. it seems to may be of benefit to breast, pancreatic, liver, even oral cancer. In addition to what Karen mentioned, somehow it helps tumors to be more radiosensitive, which some cancers are, which is thought by some to be caused by Cancer Stem Cells or Cancer Like Stem Cells, which is another new area of research, and which Metformin is being studied for.

As far as tumors, they need nutrients and new blood supplies in order to proliferate, and this area, angiogenesis, is being studied, along with hypoxia, which occurs as the tumor grows, causing tumors to be chemo and radio resistant.

Thanks.