Optimizing radiotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Optimizing radiotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol. 2019 May 28;25(20):2416-2429 Authors: Choi C, Yoo GS, Cho WK, Park HC Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer, and its incidence is rapidly increasing in North America and Western Europe as well as South-East Asia. Patients with advanced stage HCC have very poor outcomes; therefore, the discovery of new innovative approaches is urgently needed. Cancer immunotherapy has become a game-changer and revolutionized cancer treatment. A comprehensive understanding of tumor-immune interactions led to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as new therapeutic tools, which have been used with great success. Targeting immune checkpoint molecules such as programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) reinvigorates anti-tumor immunity by restoring exhausted T cells. Despite their effectiveness in several types of cancer, of the many immune suppressive mechanisms limit the efficacy of ICI monotherapy. Radiation therapy (RT) is an essential local treatment modality for a broad range of malignancies, and it is currently gaining extensive attention as a promising combination partner with ICIs because of its ability to trigger immunogenic cell death. The efficacy of combination approaches using RT and ICIs has been well documented in numerous preclinical and c...
Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG - Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Tags: World J Gastroenterol Source Type: research