Trial Watch: Immunotherapy plus radiation therapy for oncological indications

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Radiation Oncology
• Cancer Therapy

Background:

• Malignant cells undergoing radiation therapy can become immunogenic, triggering adaptive immune responses.
• Radiation therapy enhances the adjuvanticity of cell death, releasing endogenous adjuvants.
• Cancer cells possess intrinsic antigenicity due to neo-antigens, contributing to immunogenicity.

Approach:

• Investigating radiation therapy's role in improving anticancer immunotherapies.
• Summarizing preclinical and clinical advances in radiation-immunotherapy combinations.
• Exploring the synergistic effects of radiation with various immunotherapeutic agents.

Key Points:

• Radiation therapy boosts the immunogenicity of dying cancer cells.
• This effect enhances the efficacy of multiple anticancer immunotherapies.
• Combinations include checkpoint blockers, vaccines, oncolytic viruses, and TLR agonists.

Conclusions:

• Radiation therapy holds significant potential for improving cancer treatment outcomes.
• The combination of radiation and immunotherapy represents a promising therapeutic strategy.
• Further research is crucial to optimize these combined treatment modalities.