(Thursday, 7/18/2019) 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Room: Stars at Night Ballroom 4
Recent clinical trials have provided evidence that radiation is an immune modulator and thus can increase the efficacy of immunotherapy. After a brief description of the biological underpinnings of the synergy between radiation and immunotherapy, an overview of institutional and national trials testing the efficacy of combination therapy will be provided. In particular, trials will be presented that focus on achieving tumor response despite only targeting a sub-set of the gross tumor volume with radiation. Given that radiation may be boosting the immune response, the evolving role of accurate targeting using image-guidance for SBRT will be discussed, particularly if the goal of radiotherapy is no longer to deliver 100% dose to the entire tumor volume. As with past paradigm shifts, such as when it was thought that music videos would replace radio, the session will address how IGRT will be affected by the immunotherapy paradigm shift.
This session will be interactive in that the moderator will subsequently pose 3 questions for discussion: 1) What clinical evidence exists that radiation is an immune modulator before the introduction of immunotherapy? 2) How will the optimal timing and dose of radiation in relationship to immunotherapy be determined? 3) What is the role of IGRT if the intention is no longer to deliver dose to the entire tumor volume?
Learning objectives:
1) Learn about the role of radiation as an immune booster in cancer therapy
2) Summarize ongoing clinical trials combining radiation and immunotherapy
3) Discuss the evolving role of IGRT
Funding Support, Disclosures, and Conflict of Interest: Results will be presented from an ongoing institutional clinical trial that is partially funded by Merck Pharmaceuticals & Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals.
Handouts
Keywords
Image-guided Therapy, Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Radioimmunotherapy
Taxonomy
TH- External beam- photons: extracranial stereotactic/SBRT
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