Tumor microenvironment, immune response and post-radiotherapy tumor clearance.
Michael I KoukourakisAlexandra GiatromanolakiPublished in: Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico (2020)
Radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for many cancer patients. Residual tumor leads to local recurrence after a period of an equilibrium created between proliferating, quiescent and dying cancer cells. The tumor microenvironment is a main obstacle for the efficacy of radiotherapy, as impaired blood flow leads to hypoxia, acidity and reduced accessibility of radiosensitizers. Eradication of remnant disease is an intractable clinical quest. After more than a century of research, anti-tumor immunity has gained a dominant position in oncology research and therapy. Immune cells play a significant role in the eradication of tumors during and after the completion of radiotherapy. The tumor equilibrium reached in the irradiated tumor may shift towards cancer cell eradication if the immune response is appropriately modulated. In the modern immunotherapy era, clinical trials are urged to standardize immunotherapy schemes that could be safely applied to improve clearance of the post-radiotherapy remnant disease.
Keyphrases
- early stage
- immune response
- locally advanced
- blood flow
- radiation induced
- radiation therapy
- clinical trial
- palliative care
- helicobacter pylori infection
- dendritic cells
- randomized controlled trial
- molecular dynamics simulations
- squamous cell carcinoma
- mesenchymal stem cells
- molecular dynamics
- rectal cancer
- stem cells
- bone marrow
- combination therapy
- smoking cessation
- replacement therapy