Radiotherapy and Toll-Like Receptor Agonists

The clinical successes of CTLA4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade in aggressive malignancies such as metastatic melanoma and non–small cell lung carcinoma inaugurate a new era in oncology. Indeed, as opposed to tumor-targeted therapies, it is now clear that immune-targeted therapies designed to enhance the antitumor immune response are a relevant strategy to obtain long-term tumor responses. Interestingly, the study of tumor cell death biology has recently revealed that part of radiotherapy efficacy relies on its ability to trigger an immune response against tumor cells.

Source: Seminars in Radiation Oncology - December 5, 2014 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Aurelien Marabelle, Alex Filatenkov, Idit Sagiv-Barfi, Holbrook Kohrt Source Type: research