WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2025 -- Metformin has a potentially protective effect against skin cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

Zaim Haq, from the Warren Albert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues examined the potential of metformin for reducing the risk for nonmelanoma skin cancers using the All of Us research database. Propensity score matching and multivariable regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of metformin on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

The researchers found that in individuals diagnosed with SCC and BCC, the risk for nonmelanoma skin cancer was reduced following exposure to metformin. In subgroup analyses, metformin exposure was associated with a reduced risk for BCC across sex and ethnicity groups. A significantly lower risk for SCC was seen in association with metformin use, with consistently reduced odds in univariable and multivariable odds ratios. In African American patients, metformin exposure was not significantly associated with reduced SCC risk.

"While these findings suggest a potential protective role of metformin, further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings in skin-of-color patients," the authors write.