The abscopal effect in metastatic lung cancer: a retrospective analysis of combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The abscopal effect (AbE) refers to the regression of non-irradiated tumors following localized radiotherapy (RT), suggesting a systemic immune-mediated response. The combination of RT with immunotherapy (IO) has been proposed to enhance the AbE by overcoming RT-induced immunosuppressive mechanisms, but robust evidence, specifically in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the AbE and its association with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in metastatic lung cancer patients receiving RT and IO.

Materials and methods

We analyzed consecutive metastatic lung cancer patients who received IO at a certified lung cancer center in Germany between 2009 and 2021. Inclusion required RT to at lea

SUBMITTER: Ziegler DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12474601 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature