Steroids may change immune cells inside glioblastoma tumors
Original title: Corticosteroid treatment modulates immune cell populations in the glioblastoma microenvironment.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors looked at tumor tissue from patients, but no new treatment was tested.
The short version
Steroid drugs that ease brain swelling may also change the immune cells inside a tumor.
What was studied. Researchers looked at tumor tissue from 80 people with glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. 41 had taken steroids before surgery and 39 had not. The two groups were alike in other key ways.
What they found. Tumors from people who took steroids had fewer of one kind of immune cell. These are called regulatory T cells. People on high steroid doses had more of some other immune cells, called myeloid cells and macrophages. Several other immune markers looked about the same in both groups.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you take steroids for brain swelling, they may shift the immune cells in your tumor. Doctors may need to keep that in mind when they read immune test results. It may also matter for research on immune treatments.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean steroids help or harm your treatment. The team only looked at tissue taken out during surgery. They did not test any new treatment, and they did not track how people did later. This is an early look at tumor biology, not a cure and not a change to care today. Do not stop or change a steroid without talking to your own doctor.
Source: PubMed, October 7, 2026 · Read the original
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