Involvement of the Immune System in Intrinsic Radiosensitivity

Radiotherapy is one of the major treatments for cancer. It may be indicated in more than two-thirds of patients, regardless of cancer location or disease stage. The mechanisms of radiotherapy action are numerous: halting tumor proliferation, inducing tumor cell death, triggering anti-tumor immune responses, and ensuring both local and systemic tumor control. As a result, current treatments are highly effective, providing, for instance, a 5-year overall survival rate of about 90%-95% for localized breast and prostate cancers.