Is Metformin Associated With Improved Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer?

Background: Efforts to determine whether metformin can increase the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer have increased in recent years. However, retrospective studies have yielded inconclusive results.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare oncological outcomes and survival after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer taking metformin versus in those not taking metformin.

Methods: This study analyzed 423 consecutive patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and curative surgery between January 2010 and May 2020; of these, 59 were taking metformin and 364 were not taking metformin.

Results: Patients taking metformin had a lower proportion of tumor regression (6.8% versus 22.0%, P = 0.012) as well as a lower proportion of patients achieving a pathological complete response (6.8% versus 20.6%, P = 0.011). In the multivariate analysis, independent predictors of pathologic complete response were not taking metformin (OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 1.12-24.85, P= 0.035) and cT2 stage (OR: 3.49, 95% CI: 1.10-11.07, P= 0.034); the interval was also an independent predictor of tumor regression (OR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.06-2.96, P= 0.028). No differences were observed in survival between groups.

Conclusion: Metformin was not associated with better tumor responses or survival after neoadjuvant treatment.