Steroids Lower Immunotherapy Success in Lung Cancer

New research published in Cancer Research Communications shows that high doses of corticosteroids, often used to manage symptoms in non-small cell lung cancer patients, significantly reduce the effectiveness of immunotherapy by inhibiting T-cell maturation and blocking cancer biomarkers, leading to poorer outcomes and shorter survival. Steroid use was identified as the strongest predictor for immunotherapy failure, regardless of disease stage or progression. Separately, the first documented case of severe drug-induced interstitial lung disease was reported after photoimmunotherapy with cetuximab-sarotalocan sodium in a 79-year-old patient with recurrent oropharyngeal cancer, highlighting lung complication risks for those with pre-existing conditions. The research also notes that lung cancer-related coughs vary widely, with persistent, unexplained coughs more frequent in advanced or centrally located tumors, though most chronic coughs are not caused by cancer. These findings emphasize the complexity of lung cancer symptoms and the importance of carefully managing medication interactions in cancer therapy.