Current Oncology (Dec 2022)

Prognostic Relevance of Type 2 Diabetes and Metformin Treatment in Head and Neck Melanoma: Results from a Population-Based Cohort Study

  • Steffen Spoerl,
  • Michael Gerken,
  • Susanne Schimnitz,
  • Juergen Taxis,
  • René Fischer,
  • Sophia R. Lindner,
  • Tobias Ettl,
  • Nils Ludwig,
  • Silvia Spoerl,
  • Torsten E. Reichert,
  • Gerrit Spanier

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29120758
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 29, no. 12
pp. 9660 – 9670

Abstract

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Background: Type 2 Diabetes (DM2) and the consecutively daily use of antidiabetic medication are characterized by a frequent prevalence worldwide and were shown to impact the initiation and progression of malignant diseases. While these effects were observed in a variety of malignancies, comprehensive data about the role of DM2 and antidiabetic drugs in the outcome of head and neck melanoma (HNM) patients are missing. Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study included 382 HNM patients from Eastern Bavaria having received tumor resection to negative margins between 2010 and 2017. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) was evaluated with regard to DM2 and routine metformin intake. Statistical analysis was performed by uni- and multivariate analyses. The median follow-up time was 5.6 years. Results: DM2 was diagnosed in 68 patients (17.8%), routine metformin intake was found in 39 cases (10.2%). The univariate survival analysis revealed impaired 5-year RFS in HNM patients with DM2 compared to non-diabetic controls (p = 0.016; 64.0% and 74.5%, respectively). The multivariate Cox regression substantiated this effect (HR = 1.980, 95% CI = 1.108–3.538, p = 0.021). In detail, the cumulative locoregional recurrence rate displayed the most far-reaching negative effect on the RFS of diabetic HNM patients (HR = 4.173, 95% CI = 1.628–10.697, p = 0.003). For metformin intake, a profound positive effect on the RFS in multivariate statistics was observed, both in the complete cohort (HR = 0.396, 95% CI = 0.177–0.884, p = 0.024) as well as in the cohort of diabetic HNM patients (HR = 0.352, 95% CI = 0.135–0.913, p = 0.032). Conclusions: This study emphasizes that DM2 is a relevant comorbid condition in HNM patients, impairing patient survival. Metformin intake was associated with a favorable outcome in HNM patients, providing possible therapeutic implications for future adjuvant treatment regimes.

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