Administration of Repurposed Ketoconazole in Glioma Patients

Gliomas, particularly high-grade variants like glioblastoma multiforme (WHO grade IV), represent a major challenge in neuro-oncology, comprising over 50% of gliomas and 17% of all primary brain tumors with an incidence of 5 per 100,000. These tumors exhibit marked intra-tumoral heterogeneity, aggressive angiogenesis, and reliance on aerobic glycolysis-converting glucose to lactate irrespective of oxygen levels-to fuel proliferation, invasion, and survival despite maximal safe resection followed by temozolomide-radiotherapy (Stupp protocol), which yields median survival of only 14.6 months. Preclinical models of high-grade glioma (HGG) have demonstrated ketoconazole's disruption of this metabolic vulnerability by inhibiting hexokinase 2 (HK2), thereby curtailing glycolysis, promoting apoptosis, and curbing angiogenesis-effects achieved at pharmacologically safe doses without reliance on novel agents that struggle against the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Yet, critical gaps persist: ketoconazole's penetration into plasma and glioma tissue (both low- and high-grade) remains undocumented, precluding translation to efficacy trials amid BBB limitations that undermine many repurposed cancer therapies. This early phase 1 trial addresses these uncertainties in primary gliomas through individualised pre-surgical dosing (single or repeated low doses) tailored to patient status and operative timing-followed by direct intra-operative sampling of tumor tissue and plasma for ketoconazole quantification. By quantifying ketoconazole concentrations directly in tumor tissue and plasma across all grade of gliomas, this early phase 1 trial determines achievable drug exposure levels and informs safe, effective dosing for subsequent efficacy studies.