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Updated: Sep 12, 2025

Combination Radiotherapy in an Orthotopic Mouse Brain Tumor Model
Published on: March 6, 2012
Immunotherapy and radiotherapy: An effective combination in cancer treatment
Xuewei Li1, Chen Wang2, Haiou Yang2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China.
Abstract:
Immunotherapy has been widely used in cancer treatment in recent years and functions by stimulating the immune system to kill tumor cells. Radiation therapy (RT) uses radiation to induce DNA damage and kill tumor cells. However, this activates the body's immune system, promoting the release of tumor-related antigens from inactive dendritic cells, which stimulates the recurrence and metastasis of tumors in immune system tissues. The combination of RT and immunotherapy has been increasingly evaluated in recent years, with studies confirming the synergistic effect of the two antitumor therapies. Particularly, the combination of RT by dose adjustment with different immunotherapies has positive implications on antitumor immunity as well as disease prognosis compared with respective monotherapies. This review summarizes the current research status, progress, and prospects of RT combined with immunotherapy in cancer treatment. It additionally discusses the prevalent concerns regarding the dose, time window, and toxicity of this combination therapy.
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