Balancing game for brain cancer treatment

A collaborative study creates a detailed picture of immune programs in important brain tumor cells and how their relative expression can predict immunotherapy response and overall survival. The study, published in Nature and supported by the Ludwig Centers of MIT and Harvard, and McGill University, showed that dexamethasone, commonly prescribed to brain cancer patients to reduce swelling, suppresses the immune system for weeks after administration and can inhibit immune activity and immunotherapy response.