The study suggests these drugs could be repurposed to prevent brain metastasis in cancer patients who are at high risk of secondary cancers, if the current research is supported by future studies. 

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

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

Read the full University of Bristol news item

Paper: ‘Use of drugs for hyperlipidaemia and diabetes and risk of primary and secondary brain tumours: nested case–control studies using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)’ by Jamie W Robinson, Richard Martin, Kathreena M Kurian, Yoav Ben-Shlomo et al. in BMJ Open [open access].