Anti-diabetic drugs could lower risk of primary and secondary brain cancer

Medical Xpress / University of Bristol / BMJ Open ^ | Feb. 22, 2024 | Jamie W Robinson et al

[ConservativeMind]

Diabetic patients who take anti-diabetic drugs—known as glitazones—long term had a lower risk of primary and secondary brain cancer compared with diabetic patients on other medications, new research has found.

The study suggests these drugs could be repurposed to prevent brain metastasis in cancer patients who are at high risk of secondary cancers.

PPAR- α agonists (fibrates) and PPAR γ agonists (glitazones) drugs are clinically important due to their widespread safe use to treat high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) and diabetes. Previous studies have suggested that fibrates and glitazones may have a role in brain tumor prevention. Given the safety and cost of the drugs, they have the potential to be repurposed to reduce the risk of secondary tumors.

Using records from the UK GP database Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), which contains data from a network of over 2,000 GPs from more than 670 practices across the UK, the researchers examined if this theory could be supported.

The research team carried out two case-controlled studies using primary and secondary brain tumors identified within CPRD between 2000 and 2016. Cases and controls were selected from people who had been treated with any anti-diabetic or anti-hyperlipidemic drug.

The study identified 7,496 individuals with any brain tumor (4,471 primary; 3,025 secondary) in total. There were 1,950 cases and 7,791 controls in the fibrate and 480 cases with 1,920 controls in the glitazone analyses.

The researchers found long-term glitazone drug use by diabetic patients was associated with reduced primary and secondary brain tumor risk compared with diabetic patients on other medications. No association was found between fibrate use for hyperlipidemic patients and any type of brain tumor.

Kathreena Kurian said, "The anti-diabetic drugs glitazones could potentially be involved in a pathway which prevents primary brain tumors and brain metastasis in diabetic and other patients.

[ConservativeMind]

PPAR- α agonists (fibrates) and PPAR γ agonists (glitazones) are commonly used for diabetes.

These could potentially help anyone at risk of brain metastasis, with diabetics, at least. It looks like fibrates didn’t help cancer in people with just high cholesterol.

[ConservativeMind]

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[packagingguy]

Palmitoylethanolamide is an OTC PPAR agonist.