UPDATE – MILI now up and running! More details on the active studies page.
One of the most important areas of research for people with LFS is on active measures to reduce the risk of cancer developing in the first place. One of the first things that people ask after being diagnosed is, ‘What can I do to reduce the chances of getting cancer?’. But the fact is, we don’t know which diet, lifestyle or drugs can improve the chances of avoiding cancer. There are theories of course – and we’ve covered some of them in the past – but nothing has been proven yet. Which is why we are so excited about a clinical trial of the anti-diabetic drug metformin.
There had already been already some work on this drug in LFS, including a small clinical trial in the US which looked at how tolerable the drug is and whether it had some biological effects. But what that trial could not do is tell us whether it actually reduces cancer risk. For that you need a larger trial, with many more people with LFS taking the drug and for a longer period. This is exactly what the MILI trial does because it is designed from the outset to answer the key question: does taking metformin really reduce the cancer risk for people with LFS? Getting this done is a huge undertaking, but it’s absolutely essential if we want to answer the question. Only when we have that answer can we ensure that everyone who needs the drug can get it from their doctor.
Dr Sarah Blagden, along with many others, including us here at the Trust, has worked for many years on developing and implementing the trial. Make no mistake, getting this done, in spite of the many challenges ahead, will be pivotal.
