Combinations of radiotherapy with immunotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is currently based on concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The prognosis of early NPC is better, while the prognosis of advanced NPC is poor. Immunotherapy is becoming increasingly commonly employed in clinical practice as a new strategy for treating malignant tumors. It has shown promising results in the treatment of certain malignant tumors, making it a current clinical research hotspot.

This review summarizes the current immunotherapy on NPC, highlighting the application of immunotherapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of NPC.

X-rays can either increase or suppress anti-tumor immune responses through various pathways and mechanisms. Immune checkpoint inhibitors can usually enhance X-ray-induced anti-tumor immune responses. Detecting the immune checkpoint markers and tumor mutation markers, and the functional status of effector cells in patients can aid in the development of individualized treatment that improves the treatment efficacy with reducing drug resistance and adverse reactions. The development of a multivalent vaccine for NPC will help improve the efficacy of the vaccine. Combining techniques that increase the tumor antigens release, such as radiotherapy and oncolytic virus vaccines, may enhance the ability of the immune response.

To shed further light on the application of immunotherapy in NPC, large pooled studies must accumulate sufficient cases with detailed exposure data.