Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral metformin side effects in cats with cancer study
By Wypij, J M·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2017·Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pilot study of oral metformin in cancer-bearing cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Nine cats with cancer were given oral metformin for 14 days to see if it could help with their condition. While the treatment showed some potential, most cats experienced mild to moderate side effects like vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Although two cats had a slight reduction in tumor size, none showed significant improvement in their overall health. The study suggests that while metformin may have some effects, more research is needed to understand its benefits for cats with cancer.
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Abstract
A prospective dose escalation pilot study was performed in cancer-bearing cats to assess toxicity and surrogate biomarkers of pharmacologic activity of oral metformin hydrochloride. Nine cats with measurable spontaneous cancer were treated with oral metformin for 14 days. Monitoring included complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry, lactate, pH, insulin-like growth factor-1, and vascular endothelial growth factor serially until study completion. At the maximum tolerated dose of 10 mg kgq12 h side effects were primarily mild to moderate gastrointestinal upset (anorexia, vomiting, and/or weight loss). All cats developed a reduction in haematocrit. Six of nine cats developed new or progressive hyperlactatemia and one cat developed asymptomatic lactic acidosis. There were no clinical responders and two cats had modest measurable reduction in tumour size. In conclusion, we demonstrate potential pharmacologic activity of metformin at a clinically relevant dose and identify parameters for clinical monitoring and supportive care. Further investigation of metformin in cancer-bearing cats is warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26490666/