{"title":"Combining the past and present to advance immuno-radiotherapy of cancer.","authors":"Ioannis M Koukourakis, Michael I Koukourakis","doi":"10.1080/08830185.2021.1974020","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since its first clinical application, 120 years ago, radiotherapy evolved into a major anti-cancer treatment modality, offering high cure rates in many human malignancies. During the past ten years, the establishment of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer therapeutics has vigorously reintroduced the immune system's role in the outcome of radiotherapy and, conversely, the role of radio-vaccination in the efficacy of immunotherapy. The knowledge and clinical experience that founded the current era of immuno-radiotherapy started alongside with the birth of radiotherapy, and evolved through exhaustive experimental work, clinical trials on active specific immunotherapy, frustrating attempts to validate the importance of cytokine administration with radiotherapy, and, finally, the encouraging ICI-based clinical trials that opened the door to a far more encouraging perspective; radio-vaccination, through its old and new methods, is rising as a research field that promises to cure, previously incurable, disease. In this critical review, we focus on the scientific knowledge gathered through more than a century of research on radiotherapy interactions with the immune system. Understanding the origins of this promising therapeutic approach will substantially contribute to developing new immuno-radiotherapy policies in the fight against cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":14333,"journal":{"name":"International Reviews of Immunology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.3000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Reviews of Immunology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08830185.2021.1974020","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
Since its first clinical application, 120 years ago, radiotherapy evolved into a major anti-cancer treatment modality, offering high cure rates in many human malignancies. During the past ten years, the establishment of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in cancer therapeutics has vigorously reintroduced the immune system's role in the outcome of radiotherapy and, conversely, the role of radio-vaccination in the efficacy of immunotherapy. The knowledge and clinical experience that founded the current era of immuno-radiotherapy started alongside with the birth of radiotherapy, and evolved through exhaustive experimental work, clinical trials on active specific immunotherapy, frustrating attempts to validate the importance of cytokine administration with radiotherapy, and, finally, the encouraging ICI-based clinical trials that opened the door to a far more encouraging perspective; radio-vaccination, through its old and new methods, is rising as a research field that promises to cure, previously incurable, disease. In this critical review, we focus on the scientific knowledge gathered through more than a century of research on radiotherapy interactions with the immune system. Understanding the origins of this promising therapeutic approach will substantially contribute to developing new immuno-radiotherapy policies in the fight against cancer.
期刊介绍:
This review journal provides the most current information on basic and translational research in immunology and related fields. In addition to invited reviews, the journal accepts for publication articles and editorials on relevant topics proposed by contributors. Each issue of International Reviews of Immunology contains both solicited and unsolicited review articles, editorials, and ''In-this-Issue'' highlights. The journal also hosts reviews that position the authors'' original work relative to advances in a given field, bridging the gap between annual reviews and the original research articles.
This review series is relevant to all immunologists, molecular biologists, microbiologists, translational scientists, industry researchers, and physicians who work in basic and clinical immunology, inflammatory and allergic diseases, vaccines, and additional topics relevant to medical research and drug development that connect immunology to disciplines such as oncology, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders.
Covered in International Reviews of Immunology: Basic and developmental immunology (innate and adaptive immunity; inflammation; and tumor and microbial immunology); Clinical research (mechanisms of disease in man pertaining to infectious diseases, autoimmunity, allergy, oncology / immunology); and Translational research (relevant to biomarkers, diagnostics, vaccines, and drug development).