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Cancer Drugs Alter Blood-Brain Barrier
13 May
Summary
- Cancer immunotherapy can make the blood-brain barrier more permeable.
- This increased permeability may help cancer spread to the brain.
- A protein called DKK1 is identified as a key mediator of this effect.
Cancer immunotherapy drugs designed to boost the immune system's fight against tumors may be inadvertently altering the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a critical protective layer for the brain. Research indicates that PD-1 inhibitors, a widely used class of immunotherapy, can increase the BBB's permeability.
This newfound leakiness, linked to the protein DKK1, could explain why some patients experience increased cancer spread to the brain despite treatment. Conversely, this compromised barrier might also be exploited to improve the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to brain metastases, offering a potential dual benefit.
While this mechanism may explain varied patient responses to immunotherapy, further research in larger human trials is needed. These findings could significantly influence future treatment strategies for brain metastases.
