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Digestive Disease Interventions 2020; 04(04): 369-372
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718905
Review Article

Pursuit of the Abscopal Effect

Paul B. Romesser
1   Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
2   Early Drug Development Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
,
Christopher H. Crane
1   Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
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Abstract

Evasion of immune recognition is a hallmark of cancer that facilitates tumorigenesis, maintenance, and progression. Systemic immune activation can incite tumor recognition and stimulate potent antitumor responses. While the concept of antitumor immunity is not new, there is renewed interest in tumor immunology given the clinical success of immune modulators in a wide range of cancer subtypes over the past decade. One particularly interesting, yet exceedingly rare phenomenon, is the abscopal response, characterized by a potent systemic antitumor response following localized tumor irradiation presumably attributed to reactivation of antitumor immunity.

Keywords

abscopal response - radiation therapy - immune modulation


Publication History

Received: 23 July 2020

Accepted: 01 September 2020

Article published online:
30 November 2020

© 2020. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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