Metformin and Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Stage III-IV Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer

This randomized phase II trial studies how well metformin hydrochloride and combination chemotherapy works in treating patients with stage III-IV ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin, paclitaxel and docetaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Metformin hydrochloride may help carboplatin, paclitaxel and docetaxel work better by making tumor cells more sensitive to the drugs. Studying samples of blood and tissue in the laboratory from patients receiving metformin hydrochloride may help doctors learn more about the effects of metformin hydrochloride on cells. It may also help doctors understand how well patients respond to treatment. Giving metformin hydrochloride together with combination chemotherapy may kill more tumor cells.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine if the addition of metformin to standard adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus extended metformin (metformin hydrochloride) beyond standard chemotherapy increases progression free survival when compared to 6 cycles of standard chemotherapy alone in non-diabetic subjects with stage III (with any gross residual disease) or stage IV ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube carcinoma. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine whether the addition of metformin to standard chemotherapy plus extended metformin beyond standard chemotherapy increases the time to biochemical progression when compared to chemotherapy alone. II. To compare biochemical (cancer antigen \[CA\]-125) response rates in the two arms. III. To describe and compare toxicities in the two arms. IV. To compare overall survival in both arms. TERTIARY OBJECTIVES: I. To elucidate metformin's molecular mechanism of action in ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer by: determining whether metformin's anti-cancer effects are mediated by systemic metabolic changes, a direct effect on tumor cells, or both, and testing the metabolic and proteomic alterations induced in biospecimens from non-diabetic patients prospectively treated with standard chemotherapy in conjunction with metformin compared to placebo. OUTLINE: Patients receive a standard chemotherapy regimen at the discretion of the treating physician. Regimens include either paclitaxel intravenously (IV) over 2-3 hours and carboplatin IV over 30-60 minutes on day 1; docetaxel IV over 1 hour on and carboplatin IV over 30-60 minutes on day 1; or paclitaxel IV over 1 hour on days 1, 8, and 15, and carboplatin IV over 30-60 minutes on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for up to 6 courses. Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms. ARM I: Patients receive metformin hydrochloride orally (PO) twice daily (BID) and standard chemotherapy regimen as above for 6 courses. Treatment for metformin hydrochloride continues for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. ARM II: Patients receive placebo PO BID and standard chemotherapy regimen as above for 6 courses. Treatment for placebo continues for up to 2 years in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up for 2 years.