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Updated: Feb 18, 2026
11:12
Immunometabolic Circuits in Infection for Advancing Host Directed Therapies
Published on: September 13, 2024
978
Immunotherapy treatment: an issue for metabolic response
Luca Tagliabue1, Antonella Capozza2, Claudio Maioli3
1Unit of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Diagnostic Services, San Paolo University Hospital, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy - luca.tagliabue@asst-santipaolocarlo.it.
Summary
Immunotherapy improves cancer survival, but evaluating treatment response is challenging. New criteria are needed to distinguish true progression from pseudo-progression during immune-based cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Radiology
Background:
- Immunotherapy has emerged as a vital cancer treatment, enhancing progression-free and overall survival for various malignancies.
- Despite its success, challenges remain in evaluating treatment response due to the emergence of new drugs and limited clinical experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current evidence on immunotherapy response evaluation in cancer.
- To address the complexities of pseudo-progression and its distinction from disease progression under immunotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of existing literature on cancer immunotherapy response.
- Review of radiological and nuclear medicine criteria for assessing treatment efficacy.
Main Results:
- Immunotherapy offers significant survival benefits but requires careful response assessment.
- Pseudo-progression, characterized by lesion changes and new lesions, can mimic disease progression but may precede regression.
Conclusions:
- Accurate evaluation of immunotherapy response is crucial for optimal patient management.
- Distinguishing pseudo-progression from true disease progression is a key challenge in interpreting imaging findings during cancer immunotherapy.
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