ArticleClinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research2021
Concurrent Dexamethasone Limits the Clinical Benefit of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Glioblastoma.
Article in Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 139 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
139 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 161 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical Outcomes of Immunosuppressant Drugs in Patients Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2026Pooled it
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors-associated cranial nerves involvement: a systematic literature review on 136 patients.Journal of neurology · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of immunotherapy in high-grade glioma: learning from the past to shape future perspectives.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Pooled it
- Research hotspots and trend of glioblastoma immunotherapy: a bibliometric and visual analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review on poly(I:C) and poly-ICLC in glioblastoma: adjuvants coordinating the unlocking of immunotherapy.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2021Pooled it
- Multi-center phase II study of nab-paclitaxel plus camrelizumab versus nab-paclitaxel alone as second-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer.The oncologist · 2025Trial
- Degradation fragments of Tau and type IV collagen as serum biomarkers in patients with recurrent glioblastoma treated with nivolumab and bevacizumab.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025Trial
- A multicenter phase II trial of the triplet antiemetic therapy with palonosetron, aprepitant, and olanzapine for a cisplatin-containing regimen. - PATROL-I.Investigational new drugs · 2024Trial
- Dexamethasone-Free Antiemetic Prophylaxis for Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy: A Double-Blind, Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial (CINV POD study).JCO global oncology · 2024Trial
- Circulating Immune Cell and Outcome Analysis from the Phase II Study of PD-L1 Blockade with Durvalumab for Newly Diagnosed and Recurrent Glioblastoma.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2022Trial
- Convection-enhanced delivery of dexamethasone in glioma models suppresses myeloid inflammation while avoiding systemic toxicities.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- The intersection of chemokine signaling with the hallmarks of cancer in glioblastoma.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2026Review
- The Invasive Margin of Glioblastoma as a Molecular Ecosystem: Spatial Heterogeneity, Tumor-Host Interactions, and Therapeutic Opportunities.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Mechanisms, Microenvironments, and Models: Understanding Therapeutic Resistance in Glioblastoma.International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics · 2026Review
- Prognostic associations of steroid use in patients with glioblastoma: A population-based study.Neuro-oncology practice · 2026Article
- Radiotherapy resistance in glioblastoma: Mechanistic insights and novel therapeutic approaches (Review).International journal of oncology · 2026Review
- Endogenous glucocorticoids and glucocorticoid receptor signaling: Dual regulators of PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy efficacy in the tumor microenvironment.Chinese medical journal · 2026Review
- Donafenib suppresses glioblastoma progression: potential enhancement of therapeutic response in TMZ-resistant models.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Dexamethasone activates anti-tumor immunity in multiple myeloma by dismantling the GR-PPP1CB complex to restore STING/IRF3 signaling.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026Article
79 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
23 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposeDexamethasone, a uniquely potent corticosteroid, is frequently administered to patients with brain tumors to decrease tumor-associated edema, but limited data exist describing how dexamethasone affects the immune system systemically and intratumorally in patients with glioblastoma (GBM), particularly in the context of immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL
designWe evaluated the dose-dependent effects of dexamethasone when administered with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade and/or radiotherapy in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice with syngeneic GL261 and CT-2A GBM tumors. Clinically, the effect of dexamethasone on survival was evaluated in 181 patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type GBM treated with PD-(L)1 blockade, with adjustment for relevant prognostic factors.
resultsDespite the inherent responsiveness of GL261 to immune checkpoint blockade, concurrent dexamethasone administration with anti-PD-1 therapy reduced survival in a dose-dependent manner. Concurrent dexamethasone also abrogated survival following anti-PD-1 therapy with or without radiotherapy in immune-resistant CT-2A models. Dexamethasone decreased T-lymphocyte numbers by increasing apoptosis, in addition to decreasing lymphocyte functional capacity. Myeloid and natural killer cell populations were also generally reduced by dexamethasone. Thus, dexamethasone appears to negatively affect both adaptive and innate immune responses. As a clinical correlate, a retrospective analysis of 181 consecutive patients with IDH wild-type GBM treated with PD-(L)1 blockade revealed poorer survival among those on baseline dexamethasone. Upon multivariable adjustment with relevant prognostic factors, baseline dexamethasone administration was the strongest predictor of poor survival [reference, no dexamethasone; <2 mg HR, 2.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-3.68;
conclusionsOur preclinical and clinical data indicate that concurrent dexamethasone therapy may be detrimental to immunotherapeutic approaches for patients with GBM.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.