The future of radiotherapy and immunotherapy concomitantly in cancer management

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13181/mji.v28i4.3211
Keywords: cancer, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, radioimmunotherapy, radiotherapy, tumor
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Abstract

Immunotherapy is a developing field in cancer treatment. Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors has been successful in treating patients with metastatic disease, as well as patients who are refractory to standard treatments. Although immunotherapy has yielded considerably positive outcomes, its clinical benefits are limited to a small subset of patients. A combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy has been shown to provide greater clinical benefits to more patients. Radiation, particularly hypofractionated radiation with stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic body radiotherapy, works by priming T cells, upregulating proinflammatory chemokines, and increasing the immunogenicity of tumor cells. Tumor cells develop immunosuppressive mechanisms that protect them from attack by the immune system. Immunotherapy works by disrupting the ability of tumor cells to setup these defenses. When combined with radiotherapy, it can synergistically enhance tumor cell death via cytotoxic T cells, thus causing systemic tumor regression and generating better clinical response.

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Published
2019-12-13
How to Cite
1.
Sekarutami SM, Handoko. The future of radiotherapy and immunotherapy concomitantly in cancer management. Med J Indones [Internet]. 2019Dec.13 [cited 2024Apr.20];28(4):391-5. Available from: http://mji.ui.ac.id/journal/index.php/mji/article/view/3211
Issue
Vol. 28 No. 4 (2019): December
Section
Review Article

Copyright (c) 2019 Handoko Handoko, Sri Mutya Sekarutami

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