Metformin

Mmpeterson
Mmpeterson Member Posts: 124
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

Metformin has been studied for use along side chemo for endometrial cancer.  Anyone have experience with this drug?  Maryanne

Comments

  • TeddyandBears_Mom
    TeddyandBears_Mom Member Posts: 1,814 Member
    #2
    Maryanne, There is a thread

    Maryanne, There is a thread on here about Metformin. I can't remember which one. But, Takingcontrol58 has a lot of information on this. Go to her page and see her story. It is amazing.

    Love and Hugs,

    Cindi

  • Mmpeterson
    Mmpeterson Member Posts: 124
    #3
    TeddyandBears_Mom said:

    Maryanne, There is a thread

    Maryanne, There is a thread on here about Metformin. I can't remember which one. But, Takingcontrol58 has a lot of information on this. Go to her page and see her story. It is amazing.

    Love and Hugs,

    Cindi

    Ok great, this drug seems to

    Ok great, this drug seems to be very promising when used with chemo.  Thanks Cindi!  Maryanne

  • Editgrl
    Editgrl Member Posts: 903 Member
    edited October 2016 #4
    Here's one of the threads

    http://csn.cancer.org/node/299313

  • Mmpeterson
    Mmpeterson Member Posts: 124
    #5
    takingcontrol58 said:

    Metformin

    Maryanne,

    Metformin was known to have anti-cancer properties back in 2005. I believe it should be part of the standard protocol
    for endometrial cancer patients, since endometrial cancer cells have a large number of insulin receptors on their
    surface.  Just like Tamoxifen is given to stop estrogen for breast cancer patients, Metformin stops insulin growth factor-1,
    a key driver of endometrial cancer, which is usually raised at diagnosis. Mine was very high when my cancer metastasized.
    Metformin also stops estrogen.


    I went from Stage 3B, Grade 3 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, to Stage IV metatastic cancer 2 months after my surgery,
    right before I was about to start treatment.  Had 2 infusions of TaxolCarbo, then got on the real metformin (originally
    entered a trial at Sloan Kettering that added metformin or a placebo to the Taxol/Carbo). I had to be on the drug or
    I could die since I had so many tumors in my body. After one more chemo treatment and one month on metformin,
    88% of my tumors vanished (34cm was now 4cm). Took remaining 4 infusions of Taxol/Carbo and still had 2cm of tumors. 
    Refused additional chemo.  Two months later, I was in total remission (Aug 2015).  Have remaind in remission since then.
    Still on metformin, 44 supplements, radically changed my diet, lost 40lbs, exercise, only drink purified water.  You have to do much more than the standard cancer treatments if you want to survive metastatic cancer, since the cancer industry has no treatments for metastatic cancer that put you in remission and keep you in remission. You need to determine the root causes of your cancer- what made it grow in the first place- and address the risk factors you have control over.  Cancer treatment starts after you get cancer - nobody every trys to determine why you got it in the first place.  You need to do that yourself.
    Sloan was very much against my following the direction of an integrative oncologist.

    I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.  I've been trying to get the word out on this miracle drug for cancer.  The
    good doctors know all about it. It can be prescribed off label, as most drugs are, including most chemotherapy drugs. As you
    know, most chemo drugs are not specifically approved for endometrial cancer; they also don't test every chemo combination.

    I put a document together that lists about 20 anti-cancer properties of metformin, that I gathered from the
    various articles at www.pubmed.gov.  Metformin seems to target everypathway and process that is involved in the growth
    and metastasis of cancer- yet there are no effective cancer treatments for these processes. So why aren't they
    prescribing the drug for cancer patients? They are fast tracking expensive drugs but ignore metformin, which has
    been around for over fifty years.

    If metformin can put me in complete remission from a terminal diagnosis, it can certainly help others, even if it just stabilizes
    your disease, that is more than most chemo does. And if you have conditions like high glucose or high IGF-1, like I did, you
    are basically treating two of the causes of your cancer growth.  You need to treat what is making your cancer grow.

    Takingcontrol58

     

    I had TAH surgery on Friday

    I had TAH surgery on Friday 10/7 and my gyn/onc removed everything she could see and there was a lymph node that was involved.  I see her this Monday to find out the stage and grade then on to chemo Tuesday.  I am very happy she isn't waiting to do the chemo because she said mine is high grade she wants to start asap even though she got everything she wants to make sure all the stuff floating around is gone.  I have since changed my diet to very low sugar (only natural like in apples) and drink purified/spring water now with no sweeteners.  I saw that Metformin has been so promising for endometrial cancer because of the insulin/diabetes factor.  I don't understand why doctors aren't prescribing it to all their patients.  I am certainly going to ask my dr on Monday and I pray she will put me on it so it can hopefully assist the chemo into getting me to NED.  The supplements I am still learning about because there are so many that I need to ask my dr about I don't even know where to start.  Your journey is so amazing!!  I wrote down the book you suggested and I will definately look into that.  I firmly believe that we need to help out conventional medical treatments by eating better and taking care of our bodies.  I do have a question,  how did you manage chemo?  I am wondering about the fatigue and nausea especially.  Maryanne

  • takingcontrol58
    takingcontrol58 Member Posts: 272 Member
    edited October 2016 #6
    Metformin

    Maryanne,

    Metformin was known to have anti-cancer properties back in 2005. I believe it should be part of the standard protocol
    for endometrial cancer patients, since endometrial cancer cells have a large number of insulin receptors on their
    surface.  Just like Tamoxifen is given to stop estrogen for breast cancer patients, Metformin stops insulin growth factor-1,
    a key driver of endometrial cancer, which is usually raised at diagnosis. Mine was very high when my cancer metastasized.
    Metformin also stops estrogen.


    I went from Stage 3B, Grade 3 endometrioid adenocarcinoma, to Stage IV metatastic cancer 2 months after my surgery,
    right before I was about to start treatment.  Had 2 infusions of TaxolCarbo, then got on the real metformin (originally
    entered a trial at Sloan Kettering that added metformin or a placebo to the Taxol/Carbo). I had to be on the drug or
    I could die since I had so many tumors in my body. After one more chemo treatment and one month on metformin,
    88% of my tumors vanished (34cm was now 4cm). Took remaining 4 infusions of Taxol/Carbo and still had 2cm of tumors. 
    Refused additional chemo.  Two months later, I was in total remission (Aug 2015).  Have remaind in remission since then.
    Still on metformin, 44 supplements, radically changed my diet, lost 40lbs, exercise, only drink purified water.  You have to do much more than the standard cancer treatments if you want to survive metastatic cancer, since the cancer industry has no treatments for metastatic cancer that put you in remission and keep you in remission. You need to determine the root causes of your cancer- what made it grow in the first place- and address the risk factors you have control over.  Cancer treatment starts after you get cancer - nobody every trys to determine why you got it in the first place.  You need to do that yourself.
    Sloan was very much against my following the direction of an integrative oncologist.

    I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.  I've been trying to get the word out on this miracle drug for cancer.  The
    good doctors know all about it. It can be prescribed off label, as most drugs are, including most chemotherapy drugs. As you
    know, most chemo drugs are not specifically approved for endometrial cancer; they also don't test every chemo combination.

    I put a document together that lists about 20 anti-cancer properties of metformin, that I gathered from the
    various articles at www.pubmed.gov.  Metformin seems to target everypathway and process that is involved in the growth
    and metastasis of cancer- yet there are no effective cancer treatments for these processes. So why aren't they
    prescribing the drug for cancer patients? They are fast tracking expensive drugs but ignore metformin, which has
    been around for over fifty years.

    If metformin can put me in complete remission from a terminal diagnosis, it can certainly help others, even if it just stabilizes
    your disease, that is more than most chemo does. And if you have conditions like high glucose or high IGF-1, like I did, you
    are basically treating two of the causes of your cancer growth.  You need to treat what is making your cancer grow.

    Takingcontrol58

     

  • takingcontrol58
    takingcontrol58 Member Posts: 272 Member
    edited October 2016 #7
    Mmpeterson said:

    I had TAH surgery on Friday

    I had TAH surgery on Friday 10/7 and my gyn/onc removed everything she could see and there was a lymph node that was involved.  I see her this Monday to find out the stage and grade then on to chemo Tuesday.  I am very happy she isn't waiting to do the chemo because she said mine is high grade she wants to start asap even though she got everything she wants to make sure all the stuff floating around is gone.  I have since changed my diet to very low sugar (only natural like in apples) and drink purified/spring water now with no sweeteners.  I saw that Metformin has been so promising for endometrial cancer because of the insulin/diabetes factor.  I don't understand why doctors aren't prescribing it to all their patients.  I am certainly going to ask my dr on Monday and I pray she will put me on it so it can hopefully assist the chemo into getting me to NED.  The supplements I am still learning about because there are so many that I need to ask my dr about I don't even know where to start.  Your journey is so amazing!!  I wrote down the book you suggested and I will definately look into that.  I firmly believe that we need to help out conventional medical treatments by eating better and taking care of our bodies.  I do have a question,  how did you manage chemo?  I am wondering about the fatigue and nausea especially.  Maryanne

    TAH surgery

    Maryanne,

    I never experienced any nausea from my chemo. I still have the original bottle of Zofran. Sloan
    was always surprised that I had minimal symptoms from the chemo. I started taking high doses
    of DHA oil a week before I started chemo.  They say it can make the Taxol work better and prevent
    side effects. I really don't know why I never experienced any nausea.  I did start taking probiotics
    for the first time.  Chemo kills everything in its path, including the gut bacteria which is why you
    get nausea.  So you have to replenish the good bacteria with probiotics. I also started eating mainly
    organic food at the time.

    I also never experienced any fatigue. My husband still calls me the energizer bunny.  I think because the metformin
    fixed a serious issue that I had, insulin resistance, my energy levels were back.  I used to get tired and take naps
    in the afternoon the year before I was diagnosed with cancer.  No more.  Cutting out 95% of my sugar probably also
    helped. I was a sugarholic.  Probably got tired due to the highs and lows of high sugar intake.

    I would suggest you meet with an integrative oncologist or naturopath whoe will be better versed in nutritional
    supplements.  Just so you know, the key supplement that the medical community knows is anti-cancer is
    curcurmin. Believe it or not, it does many of the same things metformin does, addresses many of the same cancer
    pathways and processes.  That is probably why it is effective.  But you have to take certain formulations since it is
    not easy to digest. I use the Thorne brand- Meriva SF.  Also ask your doctor for the extended release version of
    metformin, so you dont get any stomach upset.

    I credit my cancer success with minimal standard cancer treatment plus complementary treatment (most of which is
    tied to treating the root causes of my cancer). Integrated cancer treatment.  You can never kill all the cancer cells
    floating in our bodies; we make them everyday.  You have the change the environment so the cancer cells dont
    grow into a tumor.

    Takingcontrol58

  • Mmpeterson
    Mmpeterson Member Posts: 124
    #8
    takingcontrol58 said:

    TAH surgery

    Maryanne,

    I never experienced any nausea from my chemo. I still have the original bottle of Zofran. Sloan
    was always surprised that I had minimal symptoms from the chemo. I started taking high doses
    of DHA oil a week before I started chemo.  They say it can make the Taxol work better and prevent
    side effects. I really don't know why I never experienced any nausea.  I did start taking probiotics
    for the first time.  Chemo kills everything in its path, including the gut bacteria which is why you
    get nausea.  So you have to replenish the good bacteria with probiotics. I also started eating mainly
    organic food at the time.

    I also never experienced any fatigue. My husband still calls me the energizer bunny.  I think because the metformin
    fixed a serious issue that I had, insulin resistance, my energy levels were back.  I used to get tired and take naps
    in the afternoon the year before I was diagnosed with cancer.  No more.  Cutting out 95% of my sugar probably also
    helped. I was a sugarholic.  Probably got tired due to the highs and lows of high sugar intake.

    I would suggest you meet with an integrative oncologist or naturopath whoe will be better versed in nutritional
    supplements.  Just so you know, the key supplement that the medical community knows is anti-cancer is
    curcurmin. Believe it or not, it does many of the same things metformin does, addresses many of the same cancer
    pathways and processes.  That is probably why it is effective.  But you have to take certain formulations since it is
    not easy to digest. I use the Thorne brand- Meriva SF.  Also ask your doctor for the extended release version of
    metformin, so you dont get any stomach upset.

    I credit my cancer success with minimal standard cancer treatment plus complementary treatment (most of which is
    tied to treating the root causes of my cancer). Integrated cancer treatment.  You can never kill all the cancer cells
    floating in our bodies; we make them everyday.  You have the change the environment so the cancer cells dont
    grow into a tumor.

    Takingcontrol58

    I am hoping I can toleterate

    I am hoping I can toleterate the chemo well and I will definately ask my dr about the extended release Metformin.  Don't see why she won't prescribe it if it will help but you never know.  Do you know if all cancer centers have an Integrative/Naturopath Oncologist at the facility?  Maryanne

  • Editgrl
    Editgrl Member Posts: 903 Member
    #9
    From my experience

    No, not all cancer centers have integrative/naturopathic oncologists.  However, you can find a naturopathic oncologist through this site.

    http://www.fabno.org/membership.html

Discussion Boards