Combinatorial Approaches To Enhance Anti Tumor Immunity Focus On Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy

The immune system harbors great potential for controlling and eliminating tumors. Recent developments in the field of immuno-oncology has led to unprecedented clinical benefits for a broad spectrum of solid tumors. However, immunotherapy (IT) approaches currently have several limitations including (i) low response rate; (ii) development of resistance and (iii) causing severe immune-related adverse effects (IrAEs), which underline the importance of adequate patient selection. Importantly, IT holds promising synergistic potential when combined with standard-of-care chemotherapy, radiotherapy (RT) and anti-angiogenic therapy (AAT) as part of multi-modal oncologic treatment regimes. Published data suggest that there are potential synergy between RT and AAT, which ultimately could help potentiate the response to IT. However, the complex interactions between RT and IT and/or AAT remain poorly understood. Many research questions including optimal timing, scheduling and dosing, as well as patient selection and side effects of combined therapy approaches, remain to be addressed. This Research Topic aims to give a comprehensive overview of the current field with particular emphasis on the future outlook of RT and AAT as complementary approaches to improve IT in solid tumors.