SynthesisPloS one2025
Association of metformin use with risk and survival outcome of esophageal cancer in patients with diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Metformin in gastrointestinal cancers and inflammatory bowel disease: Unraveling its mechanisms and therapeutic applications.iScience · 2026Review
- Metformin Use and Development of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.JAMA network open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between the utilization of metformin and the occurrence and survival rate of esophageal cancer (EC) in individuals with diabetes.
methodsA systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed. Related literature was searched from databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, covering the period from the inception of these databases until July 2023.
resultsA total of 16 studies were eligible, including twelve reporting incidences of EC and four reporting OS of EC patients. The combined findings revealed a significant association between the use of metformin and a lower risk of EC (OR, 0.87, P = 0.04). Furthermore, metformin could significantly prolong the OS time (HR, 0.87, P = 0.002). In analyses stratified by treatment modalities, metformin combined with surgery and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy presented the strongest protective effect on EC patients with diabetes (HR, 0.38, P = 0.003).
conclusionOur meta-analysis indicated that the use of metformin might reduce the EC incidence and improve the OS in EC patients with diabetes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.