Antiplatelet Medications and Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients with Primary Brain Tumors

Background: Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a frequent and severe consequence of primary brain tumors. The safety of antiplatelet medications in this patient population is undefined.

Objective: The primary objective was to determine whether antiplatelet medications are associated with an increased risk of ICH in patients with primary brain tumors.

Patients/methods: We performed a matched, retrospective cohort study of patients with the diagnosis of primary brain tumor treated at our institution between 2010 and 2021. Radiographic images of all potential ICH events underwent blinded review. The primary end point of the study was the cumulative incidence of ICH at 1 year after tumor diagnosis.

Results And Conclusions: A total of 387 patients with primary brain tumors were included in the study population (130 exposed to antiplatelet agents, 257 not exposed). The most common malignancy was glioblastoma (n = 256, 66.1%). Among the intervention cohort, 119 patients received aspirin monotherapy. The cumulative incidence of any ICH at 1 year was 11.0% (95% CI, 5.3-16.6) in those receiving antiplatelet medications and 13.0% (95% CI, 8.5-17.6) in those not receiving antiplatelet medications (Gray test, p = 0.6). The cumulative incidence of major ICH was similar between the cohorts (3.3% in antiplatelet cohort vs 2.9% in control cohort, p = 1.0). This study did not identify an increased incidence of ICH in patients with primary brain tumors exposed to antiplatelet medications.