Could a common diabetes drug stop precancerous mouth lesions?
NCT ID NCT07387900
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether metformin, a diabetes drug, can shrink or prevent precancerous mouth patches called oral leukoplakia. Researchers will give 34 adults a metformin gel applied to the lesion plus a metformin pill, or placebos. The goal is to see if the combination reduces lesion size and lowers cancer risk.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Metformin (10% oral gel and 500mg tablet)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-surgical way to reduce oral leukoplakia lesions and lower the risk of them turning into cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase trial with only 34 people, so results may not apply to everyone. Metformin is not a proven cancer treatment, and the benefit may be modest or absent.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Cairo University
RECRUITINGCairo, Egypt
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Vitamin a derivative patch could reverse oral precancer
- Can a vitamin d gel or light therapy stop precancerous mouth lesions?
- New light treatment could fight oral cancer without surgery
- Light therapy vs. vitamin d cream: new hope for oral cancer prevention?
- Could a common diabetes drug stop oral cancer before it starts?
- New imaging tool could make mouth biopsies more accurate