In some people with advanced cancer, when one tumor is treated with radiation and shrinks, other tumors in other areas of the body that did not receive radiation also shrink. This happens because radiation destroys tumors, producing dead cancer cells that the immune system recognize as something that needs to be eliminated. These dead cancer cells activate immune system cells that identify and attack other tumors that have not received radiation.
Researchers are studying this process in clinical trials by combining radiation with immunotherapy drugs that further increase the immune response. This is an important area of investigation in MBC because MBC is generally considered to be not well recognized by the immune system, and immunotherapy drugs often do not work in people with MBC. Using radiation to produce dead cancer cells may increase both the immune system’s response to cancer and the patient’s response to immunotherapy drugs.
Read below for more information about combining radiation and immunotherapy for MBC and for clinical trials studying this treatment combination.
Radiation and Immunology for MBC
- Weill Cornell Medical Center: Combination radiation and immunotherapy shows promise against “cold” breast cancer tumors
- Front Line Genomics: Immune cells called B cells play a role in shrinking tumors that did not receive radiation
- International Journal of Breast Cancer (journal article): The combination of radiation and immunotherapy is being investigated to treat MBC
MBC Clinical Trials
- Metastatic Trial Search: Trials Combining Radiation and Immunotherapy
Last Modified on December 2, 2024