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Radiotherapy and the abscopal effect: insight from the past, present, and future

Journal of Radiation Oncology volume 4, pages 321–330 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

The abscopal effect is a rare phenomenon in radiation oncology where radiotherapy has a therapeutic effect at a distance from the intended treatment field. This effect has resulted in dramatic clinical responses in metastatic cancer patients. Despite clinical reports describing this phenomenon for over six decades, the abscopal effect is still not well understood. In this systematic review, we summarize and review the clinical and preclinical data that have investigated the mechanisms of this effect and consider the potential of exploiting its use in cancer care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Albert C. Chen

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Hospital, 6565 Fannin Ste#DB1-077, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    E. Brian Butler & Bin S. Teh

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Simon S. Lo

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  1. Albert C. Chen
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Correspondence to Bin S. Teh.

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Albert C. Chen, E. Brian Butler, Simon S. Lo, and Bin S. Teh declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Chen, A.C., Butler, E.B., Lo, S.S. et al. Radiotherapy and the abscopal effect: insight from the past, present, and future. J Radiat Oncol 4, 321–330 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13566-015-0223-6

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Keywords

  • Abscopal effect
  • Radiotherapy
  • Regression
  • Immune modulation