Modulating the tumor immune microenvironment with locoregional image-guided interventions

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Radiology

Background:

• Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment but faces limitations like tumor immune evasion and poor drug delivery, resulting in low response rates.
• Systemic administration of immunotherapies can cause significant toxicity and fail to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the biological rationale for locoregional image-guided immunotherapy.
• To summarize current interventional oncology techniques for immunotherapy delivery.
• To discuss emerging technologies in biomaterials and drug delivery for advancing image-guided immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on image-guided cancer immunotherapy.
• Analysis of interventional oncology approaches.
• Discussion of advancements in biomaterials and drug delivery systems.

Main Results:

• Locoregional image-guided immunotherapy offers advantages over systemic delivery, including reduced toxicity and enhanced bioavailability.
• Direct tumor site administration bypasses the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, potentially improving therapeutic efficacy.
• Emerging technologies in biomaterials and drug delivery show promise for optimizing locoregional immunotherapy.

Conclusions:

• Image-guided locoregional immunotherapy represents a promising strategy to enhance cancer treatment efficacy and overcome current limitations.
• Further technological advancements in drug delivery and biomaterials are crucial for realizing the full potential of this approach in interventional oncology.
• This approach holds the potential to significantly improve objective response rates across various cancer types.