Review Article
Research advances in radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy for cancer
Sui Xin, Zhao Dan, Lin Hongmei, Zhu Guangying
Published 2016-10-15
Cite as Chin J Radiat Oncol, 2016,25(10): 1135-1138. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1004-4221.2016.10.025
Abstract
Radiotherapy not only acts as an important local treatment of cancer, but also plays a key role in regulation of immune function. Radiotherapy regulates anti-tumor immune responses by promoting the generation of neoantigens, regulating the release of cytokine, and enhancing the sensitivity of tumor to cell-mediated immunity. Recently, several studies and clinical practice reported the abscopal effect in some patients undergoing radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy, which showed partial or complete response of metastases outside the irradiation field, suggesting the combination therapy as a promising strategy. However, further studies are needed for the understanding of the mechanism and influencing factors for immunity such as radiation dose and fractionation scheme. This paper reviews the research advances in the mechanism of radiotherapy-immunotherapy interaction and the combination therapy for cancer.
Key words:
Neoplasms/radiotherapy; Neoplasms/immunotherapy; Progress
Contributor Information
Sui Xin
Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Beijing 100142, China
Zhao Dan
Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Beijing 100142, China
Lin Hongmei
Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Beijing 100142, China
Zhu Guangying
Department of Radiation Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Beijing 100142, China