Radiation and Immunity: Hand in Hand From Tumorigenesis to Therapeutic Targets Publisher



Saghazadeh A^{1, 2} ; Keshavarzfathi M^{3, 4} ; Delavari F⁵ ; Rezaei N^{1, 6, 7}
Source: Cancer Immunology: Bench to Bedside Immunotherapy of Cancers# Second Edition Published:2020

Abstract

Modern research not only removed the tumorigenic label from low-dose radiation but also related that to the activation of the repair system. The repair system prepares the body to mount early responses that control the initial DNA damage, block the spread of damage, and prevent genomic instability and tumor evolution. Despite such efforts, different types of radiation including space radiation, radiation therapy, CT radiation, high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, low-dose nuclear radiation, and solar UV-B radiation might eventually give rise to the development of tumors. In the present chapter, we first review the way radiation and immunity go hand in hand to subvert. Transformed cells that possess the remaining DNA damaged sites signal to the innate immune system primarily via NKG2D receptors. In the following, the immune cells, e.g., NK and T cells expressing these receptors and signaling pathways such as NF-κB and STAT factors, begin to engage in the DNA damage response pathway. In the following, radiation would ram the cellular microenvironment into a series of inflammation-promoting cancer and cancer-promoting inflammation cascades. Then, we will review the way radiotherapy and immunotherapy work hand in hand to treat. Radiation therapy by disintegration of the DNA of cancer cells is useful in the eradication of the primary tumor. As well, it owns the ability to evoke the innate and adaptive immune responses that can seep through the body so that the effect of radiation might be seen at sites distant from primary tumor as well. In fact, ionizing radiation is now considered as an immunological adjuvant that would help induction and modulation of immune responses. This part discusses immunotherapy as an adjuvant for radiotherapy as well as radiation as an adjuvant for immunotherapy and leads to the conclusion that superior efficacy of the combined approaches consisted of both immunotherapy and radiotherapy might reflect nonredundant mechanisms for each treatment. Finally, the chapter ends with important practical implications (radiotherapies and radionuclides) and complications (persistent immunodeficiency, mortality, aggravation of swallowing difficulties, and fear of recurrence). © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2015, 2021. All rights reserved.