[Influence of metformin and N-acetylcysteine on hormonal and genotoxic effects of estrogens and glucose in convalescent cancer patients]

Abstract

Our study involved 25 postmenopausal patients (endometrial carcinoma--16, breast (6) and colorectal (3) cancer, aged 56.8 +/- 0.9). All patients were in clinical remission. None had received any specific therapy for at least 12 months. After a laboratory endocrine-genotoxic switch evaluation, 17 patients were given an antidiabetic drug--biguanide metformin--or N-acetylcysteine as antioxidant (8) for 3 months. A checkup was carried out on completion of the course. As a result, hormonal and progenotoxic effects of glucose were found to be inhibited significantly. Much less pronounced was the impact on relevant effects of estradiol which were investigated vis-a-vis nature of blood mononuclear response in vitro. Both isolated and combined administration of said drugs used for endocrine-metabolic rehabilitation is justified.