A "blood-brain barrier-like" vascular gate limits immunotherapy efficacy in neuroendocrine cancers
🧠 Blood vessels in SCLC form a "blood-brain barrier-like vascular gate (BVG)" with thick basement membranes, tight junctions, and pericyte coverage
🛡️ The BVG acts as a physical barrier, restricting CD8+ T cell infiltration and causing the "immune desert" phenotype
📚Cell 2026
https://t.co/QhvuwMjbd9
FDA approval alert in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer 🧬
Pembrolizumab + paclitaxel ± bevacizumab is now FDA approved for PD-L1 positive (CPS ≥1) platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal carcinoma after 1–2 prior lines.
🧪 KEYNOTE-B96
🧑⚕️ n = 643 | Platinum-resistant disease
🧬 PD-L1 CPS ≥1 subgroup = 466
💊 Arms
🔹 Pembrolizumab + paclitaxel ± bevacizumab
🔹 Paclitaxel ± bevacizumab
📊 Key efficacy
📉 mPFS: 8.3 vs 7.2 months
👉 HR 0.72 | p = 0.0014
❤️ mOS: 18.2 vs 14.0 months
👉 HR 0.76 | p = 0.0053
⚠️ Safety
Immune-related AEs consistent with prior pembrolizumab experience
No new safety signals
🧠 Clinical takeaway
For the first time, immunotherapy shows a statistically significant OS benefit in PD-L1 positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, setting a new standard option beyond chemotherapy alone.
📊 Infographic inside
🔖 Save this for clinic decisions
📖 Full FDA approval note in comment ⬇️
#OncoTwitter #MedTwitter #OvarianCancer #GynOnc #Immunotherapy
@OncoAlert@ASCO@myESMO@ESMO_Open @FDAOncology @FDA
BREAKING NEWS
The 2025 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”
Our paper was recently published!
This study examined the association between stoma and CKD in cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer.
It may help re-evaluate the indications for stoma creation.
Thanks Dr. Fujiwara & Dr. Seki!
@GynOncJnls
https://t.co/qz4jaaoNKp