Common medication for lung cancer symptoms found to limit immunotherapy effectiveness (Corticosteroids)

Medical Xpress / University of Southern California / Cancer Research Communications ^ | July 7, 2025 | Fumito Ito, MD, Ph.D.

[ConservativeMind]

Corticosteroids, a commonly prescribed medication to alleviate cancer-related symptoms for non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, are the main reason certain immunotherapies may fail in treating the disease, according to new research.

The study showed that high doses of steroids, when given before and/or during a specific type of immunotherapy, caused patients' tumors to shrink less than those of patients not on steroids. Those patients also did not live as long.

"Our findings reveal that steroids stop the body's natural cancer-fighting cells, T-cells, from maturing. This makes them unable to attack the cancer as vigorously as they usually would, leading to worse outcomes for patients," said Ito.

Ito and his colleagues also discovered that steroids blocked circulating biomarkers in the body—bits of cells in the bloodstream that signal when cancer is progressing so oncologists can adjust the patient's treatment.

The study examined the effect of steroids on a type of immunotherapy known as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICIs help the body's immune system fight cancer by blocking proteins that prevent T-cells from attacking cancer cells. ICIs are often used to treat non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of lung cancer.

Ito and fellow researchers retrospectively studied the medical records of 277 patients with Stage II-IV non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with ICIs alone or in combination with other therapies.

They analyzed up to eight years of data to determine that steroids were the sole factor impeding the effectiveness of the immunotherapy.

They also determined that T-cells of significant numbers of patients on steroids were not fully matured and launched a preclinical study using mice to observe the effects of steroids on ICI therapy in real time. This mouse model study led to the discovery that steroids given before/during immunotherapy inhibit T-cells from fully maturing.

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: lungs

[ConservativeMind]

For non-small cell lung cancer, corticosteroids were found to cause immunotherapy to work poorly, due to stopping T-cells from maturing and from hiding cancer biomarkers from doctors, who then don’t know things aren’t working to adjust the therapy.

This sounds pretty concerning.

[ConservativeMind]

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[gleeaikin]

This raised the question as to what influence corticosteroids have on other cancers and forms of cancer treatment. Non maturing T cells is not a good thing.

[sauropod]

.

[Patriot777]

Steroids torpedo the immune system. When I was first diagnosed with COPD, doctor had me on three inhalers, one a steroid. Constantly came down with colds, strep, gastrointestinal infections, etc. then later in life came steroid injections and epidurals in my lumbar spine and S.I. joints to combat debilitating pain. Yes, yes, I fell for it—despite knowing it never helped my poor dad either.
Colds, strep, and the wonderful agonizing mental depression was the final line in the sand.

I still have my albuterol HFA inhaler on standby. For pain I stay as mobile as I can, visit my chiropractor, utilize deep tissue massage therapy, slather on arnica Montana gel (or slap on a Salonpas patch), and occasionally lie down and watch a movie.

But the best Therapy of all, reading and studying The Living Word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Hallowed be His Mighty Name.

[linMcHlp]

steroids bkmk

[linMcHlp]

Note to self

Stress might stop “the body’s natural cancer-fighting cells, T-cells, from maturing.”