Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2019 Mar;98(12):e14955.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000014955.

Metformin use and prostate cancer risk: A meta-analysis of cohort studies

Zhaohan Feng  1 , Xiaofeng Zhou, Naibo Liu, Jianfeng Wang, Xing Chen, Xin Xu
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Metformin use and prostate cancer risk: A meta-analysis of cohort studies

Zhaohan Feng et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The relationship between metformin use and the risk of prostate cancer is still inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all eligible cohort studies to evaluate a potential association of metformin use with prostate cancer risk.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases through July 2018. A DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was applied to calculate the pooled relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: Eighteen cohort or nested case-control studies were included in this study with a total of 52,328 cases. In a random-effect pooled analysis, metformin use was not significantly associated with the risk of prostate cancer (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.80-1.16, P = .711). Statistically significant heterogeneity was identified among included studies (P < .001, I = 98.1%). Sensitivity analysis indicated that no single study dominated the pooled RR.

Conclusion: The present large meta-analysis of cohort studies did not find an association between metformin use and prostate cancer risk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Literature search and study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A forest plot showing the relative risk of prostate cancer associated with metformin use. The size of each square is proportional to the study's weight (inverse of variance). Weights are from random effects analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sensitivity analysis was performed whereby each study was omitted in turn and the pooled relative risks were recalculated to determine the influence of each study.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Publication bias was evaluated by the funnel plot.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Torre LA, Bray F, Siegel RL, et al. Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA Cancer J Clin 2015;65:87–108. - PubMed
    1. Attard G, Parker C, Eeles RA, et al. Prostate cancer. Lancet 2016;387:70–82. - PubMed
    1. Xu X, Cheng Y, Li S, et al. Dietary carrot consumption and the risk of prostate cancer. Eur J Nutr 2014;53:1615–23. - PubMed
    1. Liu Y, Hu F, Li D, et al. Does physical activity reduce the risk of prostate cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Urol 2011;60:1029–44. - PubMed
    1. Liu B, Mao Q, Cao M, et al. Cruciferous vegetables intake and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis. Int J Urol 2012;19:134–41. - PubMed