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Comparison of Metformin Combinations with Other Repurposed Drugs in the Treatment of Hamster Fibrosarcoma: A Review

Popović DJ, Popović KJ, Miljković D, Poša M, Dolićanin Z, Čapo I, Popović JK

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 2026

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Metformin is a prominent candidate for cancer drug repurposing, backed by preclinical and epidemiological evidence showing reduced cancer incidence in diabetic patients. Its pleiotropic effects include AMPK activation, protein synthesis inhibition, and metabolic alterations. This review integrates global preclinical data via a comprehensive tabular overview alongside a cross-analysis of specific investigations of hamster fibrosarcoma. Since head-to-head comparisons of metformin-based combinations on hamster fibrosarcoma remain limited, this work performs an integrated cross-study evaluation to establish a clear comparative hierarchy of various repurposed adjuvants combined with metformin. Methods: A literature review and cross-study re-analysis of peer-reviewed preclinical studies were conducted, focusing on in vivo therapeutic outcomes within the BHK-21/C13-induced hamster fibrosarcoma model. Treatment regimens from distinct primary studies were evaluated side-by-side using tumor endpoint data expressed as a percentage of control mean (± SD). Only statistically significant pairwise differences (p Results: Integrated analysis identified disulfiram and diclofenac as the most promising adjuvants among compared metformin combinations, showing the highest statistical significance across all evaluated endpoints. The statistical ranking of the metformin-based combinations followed a descending order: disulfiram, diclofenac, nitroglycerin, itraconazole, and…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a review, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

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