A research has stated that breast cancer can be fought with a drug routinely used by thousands of diabetics.

A new test has been made by scientists in Manchester that will help identifying people who are suffering from aggressive forms of the disease that can be helped from Metformin.

A team from University of Manchester’s Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit was successful in developing the test.

Needs of cancer patients can be met easily with new treatments made that are far more effective with these findings, researchers said.

Lactate and ketones are high-energy foods that are fed to cancer cells by normal healthy cells, a team, led by Professor Michael Lisanti, found.

The process was however blocked by a drug that is used to fight diabetes called Metformin.

Scientists said, “Patients whose cancer cells fed off high-energy compounds were more likely to see their tumors spread or become terminal.”

This means that aggressive cancer cell’s fuel supply can be cut off by Metformin very easily.

A new way was developed by scientists to figure out people who had poor prognosis who could be helped by the drug.