Document Type
Plan B - Open Access
Award Date
2018
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology and Microbiology
First Advisor
Greg Heiberger
Abstract
Radiotherapy aims to destroy tumors by inducing DNA damage in their cells at the local irradiation site. Its immune-mediated systemic effects, called abscopal effect, has shown to enhance anti-tumor immunity when combined with immune therapies and thus, have gained attention by researchers and clinicians to investigate. Below is a summary of the fundamentals of cancer and the immune system’s response to it, as well as the changes in the phenotype and microenvironment of tumor cells after exposure to radiation. Impacts of the abscopal effect and the induction of effective antitumor immunity with various immune therapy strategies will be outlined. The emphasis is set on combination strategies of local radiation therapy with immune therapies such as growth factor inhibitors and immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Limitations Finding the most effective immune therapy in conjunction with radiation and optimizing these therapies to be more patient-centered, offers the potential to improve anti-cancer treatments in the future.
Description
Includes bibliographical references
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
16
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
Recommended Citation
Steffen, Amy, "Immunization by Radiotherapy: Enhancing an Immune-mediated Abscopal Effect" (2018). Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects. 1.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/biomicro_plan-b/1