Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy-Immunotherapy for Cancer Management: From Mechanisms to Clinical Implications

Figure 1

The triple strikes of cancer. Immunotherapy includes monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, oncolytic viruses, immunological adjuvants, checkpoint inhibitors, and cellular therapies. Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are the mainstream radiotherapy technologies. SRT includes three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). SRS includes X-knife, Y-knife, and Cyber Knife. Chemotherapy includes cell cycle-specific agents (CCSA) and cell cycle-nonspecific agents (CCNSA). Immunotherapy of tumors has two purposes: to target tumor cells and to activate immune cells. The combined use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy may enhance efficacy.