A sex-specific platelet switch controls anti-tumor immunity in glioblastoma.

In glioblastoma patients and female murine models, platelet PAR4 signaling is linked to increased platelet reactivity and suppresses CD8+ T cell–mediated anti-tumor immunity.

• Why it matters: Sex-linked immune differences in glioblastoma outcomes are not well explained, and the specific platelet pathways shaping anti-tumor immunity by sex remain unclear.
• What they did: GBM patient platelet reactivity was assessed alongside PAR4 inhibition in murine models, where pharmacologic or genetic PAR4 blockade prolonged survival in females but not males, and required estrogen.
• The result: PAR4 inhibition increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and function in the tumor microenvironment, and CD8+ T cell depletion removed both tumor-induced platelet reactivity and the PAR4-dependent survival benefit via ERβ-linked signaling.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.