Onkológia 1/2023

The theoretical basis of the synergy of radiotherapy and therapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors

Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors has now become the standard of care for a number of malignancies. The addition of radiotherapy is thought to enhance the curative effect of immunotherapy. The reason is the ability of radiotherapy to activate antitumor immunity. The review article explains the theoretical basis of the synergy of radiotherapy and immunotherapy at the cellular and molecular level. Only randomized clinical trials for individual diagnoses can confirm the true clinical benefit of this combination.

Keywords: immunotherapy, immune check-point inhibitor, radiotherapy