Pregledni rad
Immunomodulatory effects of radiotherapy
Lidija Beketić Orešković
; Department of Clinical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; Department of Radiotherapy and Internal Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Mikulandra
; Department of Radiotherapy and Internal Oncology, University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Sažetak
It is well known that radiotherapy, as mainly locoregional treatment, has systemic effects as well. The term abscopal effect (latin: ab – away from; scopus – target) has been used to describe the regression of distant tumor metastases after completion of primary tumor radiation therapy. It has been shown that radiotherapy can initiate systemic antitumor immunologic response which includes the activation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes via numerous complex mechanisms. Latest findings indicate that there is an extremely complex interaction between the effects of radiotherapy, the activation of different signal pathways, tumor microenvironment and immunologic response. Depending on different tumor and host immune system characteristics, radiation therapy may have either immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive effects. Several case reports and smaller studies have described tumor regression after concurrent application of immunotherapy and radiation therapy, mainly in metastatic melanoma, but also in other cancers, such as castration-resistant prostate cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, etc. Many studies researching possible immunomodulatory properties of radiotherapy, as well as the combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy are currently in progress. Better understanding of molecular mechanisms of tumor immunologic regulation and the immunomodulatory effects of radiotherapy will open possibilities of creating new more effective therapeutic options in treatment of malignant diseases.
Ključne riječi
radiotherapy; immunotherapy; abscopal eff ect
Hrčak ID:
192197
URI
Datum izdavanja:
21.12.2017.
Posjeta: 1.053 *