Metformin Hydrochloride in Treating Patients With Pancreatic Cancer That Can be Removed by Surgery

You may not be if

• Patients must be previously untreated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2
• Patients must have surgical resection of the pancreas planned, with enrollment at least 7 days prior to surgery; patients with surgery scheduled \> 15 days will not be excluded
• Hemoglobin (Hg)A1C must be below 7%
• Total bilirubin less than 1.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
• Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 2.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
• Serum creatinine within normal institutional limits
• Alkaline phosphatase \< 1.5 X institutional upper limit of normal
• Subjects must have the ability to understand and be willing to provide written informed consent
• History of metformin use in the previous 3 months
• Treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• History of allergic reactions attributed to metformin
• Patients with uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• Metabolic acidosis, acute or chronic, including ketoacidosis
• Metastatic disease