When oncogenic signaling meets sex-biased immune evasion

Sex differences in tumor immunity are increasingly recognized as important determinants of cancer progression and therapeutic response. In a recent publication, Abdelfattah and colleagues identify a male-biased Yap1-Cd276 regulatory axis that promotes immune evasion in sonic hedgehog (SHH)-induced medulloblastoma (MB). Although Yap1 regulates tumor immune cell infiltration and immunosuppression in both sexes, disruption of this pathway confers survival benefit only in males, not females. These findings highlight how oncogenic signaling intersects with tumor immunity and underscore the importance of considering biological sex in studies of cancer immunology and immunotherapy.