title: Current clinical trials testing the combination of immunotherapy with radiotherapy.
abstract: Increasing evidence demonstrates that radiation acts as an immune stimulus, recruiting immune mediators that enable anti-tumor responses within and outside the radiation field. There has been a rapid expansion in the number of clinical trials harnessing radiation to enhance antitumor immunity. If positive, results of these trials will lead to a paradigm shift in the use of radiotherapy. In this review, we discuss the rationale for trials combining radiation with various immunotherapies, provide an update of recent clinical trial results and highlight trials currently in progress. We also address issues pertaining to the optimal incorporation of immunotherapy with radiation, including sequencing of treatment, radiation dosing and evaluation of clinical trial endpoints.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065 USA.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065 USA.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demaria
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065 USA ; Department of Radiation Oncology, Stich Radiation Center, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065 USA.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Formenti
keywords: Abscopal effect; Antitumor immunity; CTLA-4; Immunotherapy; PD-1; PD-L1; Radiotherapy; Stereotactic body radiation therapy; TGFβ