Corticosteroid treatment modulates immune cell populations in the glioblastoma microenvironment
Abstract
Background: Corticosteroids play a crucial role in alleviating tumor-associated edema in patients with brain tumors. However, their impact on the tumor microenvironment within glioblastoma remains largely unexplored. In the context of increasing interest in immunotherapy and limited clinical progress for glioblastoma patients, it is important to understand how corticosteroid therapy influences the immune microenvironment.
Methods: This study involved 80 glioblastoma patients, 41 of whom received corticosteroids preoperatively and 39 who did not. The groups were balanced for key clinical prognostic parameters. Through immunohistochemical staining and image analysis-based software classifiers, we quantitatively assessed a broad marker panel covering immune, myeloid, hypoxia-related, and tumor-associated features of the glioblastoma microenvironment.
Results: Our analysis revealed a more than 2-fold decrease in FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in glioblastoma tissue samples from patients who received corticosteroids. In dose-subgroup analyses, high-dose corticosteroid exposure was associated with increased CD68+ and CD204+ myeloid/macrophage-marker abundance. CD8 and CD4 T cell counts, as well as CD86, TMEM119, HIF-1α, PD-L1, and SOX2, remained similar across all groups.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that corticosteroid treatment is associated with selective changes in T cell and myeloid/macrophage-marker abundance within the tumor microenvironment. These findings highlight corticosteroid exposure as an important factor to consider when interpreting immune profiles and developing immune-based therapies in glioblastoma.
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BibTeX
@article{clausen2026corticosteroid,
title = {{Corticosteroid treatment modulates immune cell populations in the glioblastoma microenvironment}},
author = {Rune Just Clausen and Sofie Sorgenfri Hjerrild Nielsen and Julie Jacobsen and Line Viftrup Buchwald and Vilde Pedersen and Nadine Margaretha Hammouda and Nicolai Schou Bager and Kirsten Grunnet and Hans Skovgaard Poulsen and Simone Maarup and Benedikte Hasselbalch and Thomas Urup and Signe Regner Michaelsen and Sara Blaabjerg Artzi and Bjarne Winther Kristensen},
journal = {Neuro-Oncology Advances},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/noajnl/vdag258},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdag258},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Corticosteroid treatment modulates immune cell populations in the glioblastoma microenvironment
AU - Rune Just Clausen
AU - Sofie Sorgenfri Hjerrild Nielsen
AU - Julie Jacobsen
AU - Line Viftrup Buchwald
AU - Vilde Pedersen
AU - Nadine Margaretha Hammouda
AU - Nicolai Schou Bager
AU - Kirsten Grunnet
AU - Hans Skovgaard Poulsen
AU - Simone Maarup
AU - Benedikte Hasselbalch
AU - Thomas Urup
AU - Signe Regner Michaelsen
AU - Sara Blaabjerg Artzi
AU - Bjarne Winther Kristensen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Neuro-Oncology Advances
DO - 10.1093/noajnl/vdag258
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdag258
AB - Background: Corticosteroids play a crucial role in alleviating tumor-associated edema in patients with brain tumors. However, their impact on the tumor microenvironment within glioblastoma remains largely unexplored. In the context of increasing interest in immunotherapy and limited clinical progress for glioblastoma patients, it is important to understand how corticosteroid therapy influences the immune microenvironment. Methods: This study involved 80 glioblastoma patients, 41 of whom received corticosteroids preoperatively and 39 who did not. The groups were balanced for key clinical prognostic parameters. Through immunohistochemical staining and image analysis-based software classifiers, we quantitatively assessed a broad marker panel covering immune, myeloid, hypoxia-related, and tumor-associated features of the glioblastoma microenvironment. Results: Our analysis revealed a more than 2-fold decrease in FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in glioblastoma tissue samples from patients who received corticosteroids. In dose-subgroup analyses, high-dose corticosteroid exposure was associated with increased CD68+ and CD204+ myeloid/macrophage-marker abundance. CD8 and CD4 T cell counts, as well as CD86, TMEM119, HIF-1α, PD-L1, and SOX2, remained similar across all groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that corticosteroid treatment is associated with selective changes in T cell and myeloid/macrophage-marker abundance within the tumor microenvironment. These findings highlight corticosteroid exposure as an important factor to consider when interpreting immune profiles and developing immune-based therapies in glioblastoma.
SN - 2632-2498
ER -