A new twist on radiation oncology: low-dose irradiation elicits immunostimulatory macrophages that unlock barriers to tumor immunotherapy

Cancer Cell. 2013 Nov 11;24(5):559-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2013.10.019.

Abstract

Tumor-infiltrating macrophages typically promote angiogenesis while suppressing antitumoral T cell responses. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Klug and colleagues report that clinically-feasible, low-dose irradiation redirects macrophage differentiation from a tumor-promoting/immunosuppressive state to one that enables cytotoxic T cells to infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells, rendering immunotherapy successful in mice.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Insulinoma / therapy*
  • Macrophages / physiology*
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / metabolism*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / therapy*

Substances

  • NOS2 protein, human
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II