Low-dose irradiation for reversing immunotherapy resistance: how to translate?

Abstract

The use of low-dose irradiation (LDI) for mobilizing innate and adaptive immunity is gaining interest among the scientific community. Recent evidence suggests that LDI can reprogramme the tumor microenvironment, induce inflammation and turn cold tumors susceptible to immunecheckpoint blockade therapy. Translating immuno-radiation preclinical findings in the clinic is more challenging than expected. We propose therapeutic strategies for combining LDI with immunotherapy, and emphasize the importance of pursuing clinical research to determine optimal radiation dosage, fractionation, volumes, and sequencing to stimulate immune-mediated tumor responses.