Health

Diabetes Drug Shows Promise In Slowing Prostate Cancer Growth, Study Finds

A drug used to treat type 2 diabetes may also help slow the growth of prostate cancer, according to a new study.

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, have identified shared mechanisms between diabetes and cancer.

They found that the protein PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma), which regulates metabolism, can also affect prostate cancer cell growth.

PPARγ is already targeted by drugs such as thiazolidinediones, including pioglitazone, used for managing type 2 diabetes.

“The diabetes drug pioglitazone influences PPARγ activity and inhibits tumour cell growth and metabolism,” said Emine Atas from the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy.

She added that early findings showed prostate cancer patients with diabetes treated with PPARγ agonists had not relapsed during the study period.

Published in Molecular Cancer, the study suggests these drugs could offer a new way to treat prostate cancer. The researchers studied cell cultures and patient tissue samples to understand how different activation states of PPARγ affect cancer cells.

Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer in men. In 2020, it led to 1.4 million diagnoses and 375,000 deaths worldwide.

Despite medical advances, current treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, and medication.

The discovery of PPARγ’s role in tumour growth opens the door to more targeted therapies. Researchers now plan further studies to explore this promising treatment avenue.

Also Read: The Science Behind Collagen: Can It Really Slow Down Ageing?

Ajaypal Choudhary

Recent Posts

PM Modi Calls India-Central Asia Partnership ‘Force Multiplier’ For Regional Global Stability

PM Narendra Modi met with the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan…

40 mins ago

PM Modi, Canadian PM Carney Hold Talks; India To Attend G7 Summit In June

PM Narendra Modi spoke with Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, congratulating him…

2 hours ago

Vedanta Boosts Green Energy Push; Surpasses 1 GW Renewable Energy Mark

On the occasion of World Environment Day, Vedanta Ltd announced a significant milestone in its…

2 hours ago

FDI Inflows In India Surpass $500 Billion In A Decade; Driven By Key Reforms

India attracted over $500 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows between 2014 and…

3 hours ago

PM Modi Takes Dig At Pakistan For Attacking ‘Insaniyat’ & ‘Kashmiriyat’

PM Narendra Modi strongly condemned Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack, accusing it of trying…

3 hours ago

PM Modi Attacks Pakistan Over Pahalgam Terror Incident; Hails Operation Sindoor

PM Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan for attempting to derail…

4 hours ago