(duplicate) Immune responses to ablative radiotherapy, version number
Research type
Research Study
Full title
IMMUNE RESPONSES TO ABLATIVE RADIOTHERAPY IN SOLID CANCERS
IRAS ID
280149
Contact name
Catherine Pembroke
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Velindre University Hospital Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is estimated that 2.5 million people are living with a cancer diagnosis in the UK, equating to 360 thousand new diagnoses per year.
Chemotherapies have been traditionally been used in the treatment of metastatic cancers to interrupt the cell cycle and therefore division of rapidly growing cancer cells. More recently, harnessing a patient’s immune system by blocking cytotoxic T -lymphocytes-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and/or the PD-1 axis has demonstrated huge gains in survival in tumour sites, such as melanoma and lung cancer, whose prognoses have been historically poor.
In parallel, technological advances have allowed for focal ablative radiotherapy (stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR)) of target lesions. In primary lung cancers and oligometastases (3-5 metastatic lesions)2-year local control rates of 70-90% have been demonstrated. Significant gains in progression free survival following SABR have been shown in the oligometastatic setting.
Despite these unprecedented advances, the integration and sequencing of such therapies is poorly understood. The compound effect of radio and immunotherapies are as yet unknown.
Our project aims to investigate immune responses following ablative radiotherapy. Our hypothesis will be that SABR augments the tumoricidal responses of the immune system which may be enhanced through checkpoint inhibition or depletion of regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs).
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/NW/0404
Date of REC Opinion
5 Oct 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion