Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy Interactions

Radiotherapy exerts local cytotoxic effects while simultaneously shaping the tumour microenvironment by liberating neoantigens and danger signals. These factors can initiate systemic antitumour immunity, yet radiation alone often fails to generate durable responses beyond the irradiated field. Immunotherapy, notably immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cellular approaches, seeks to overcome tumour-induced immune suppression and reinvigorate exhausted T cells. When combined, radiotherapy may transform the irradiated lesion into an in situ vaccine, and immunotherapy can amplify and sustain the systemic response. Critical determinants of this synergy include radiation dose and fractionation, scheduling relative to immune modulation, and the immunological landscape of the tumour. This integrated strategy has global implications for enhancing treatment efficacy and overcoming resistance mechanisms across diverse cancer types.

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Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy Interactions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in immunotherapy and radiation therapy interactions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Abscopal effect: Regression of non-irradiated tumours at distant sites following local radiotherapy.

Immunogenic cell death: Programmed cell death that provokes adaptive immune responses through release of danger signals.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Antibodies blocking inhibitory receptors (e.g. PD-1, CTLA-4) to enhance T-cell activity against cancer.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK): A kinase that regulates cell adhesion and migration; its inhibition promotes immune cell infiltration.

Exosomes: Nano-sized extracellular vesicles mediating intercellular transfer of proteins and RNAs.

Type I interferon (I-IFN): Cytokines (such as interferon-α/β) that stimulate antiviral and antitumour immune pathways.

References

1. Annotation of CD8+ T-cell function via ICAM-1 imaging identifies FAK inhibition as an adjuvant to augment the antitumor immunity of radiotherapy. Theranostics (2024).
2. Melanoma Derived Exosomes Amplify Radiotherapy Induced Abscopal Effect via IRF7/I‐IFN Axis in Macrophages. Advanced Science (2024).
3. Turning anecdotal irradiation-induced anticancer immune responses into reproducible in situ cancer vaccines via disulfiram/copper-mediated enhanced immunogenic cell death of breast cancer cells. Cell Death & Disease (2024).