Volume 321, Issue 1 pp. 20-32
INVITED REVIEW

Molecular determinants of immunogenic cell death elicited by radiation therapy

Claudia Galassi

Corresponding Author

Claudia Galassi

Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA

Correspondence

Claudia Galassi and Lorenzo Galluzzi, Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Vanessa Klapp

Vanessa Klapp

Tumor Stroma Interactions, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

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Takahiro Yamazaki

Takahiro Yamazaki

Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA

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Lorenzo Galluzzi

Corresponding Author

Lorenzo Galluzzi

Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA

Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, New York, USA

Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, New York, USA

Correspondence

Claudia Galassi and Lorenzo Galluzzi, Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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First published: 07 September 2023
Citations: 4

This article is part of a series of reviews covering Mechanisms of programmed cell death appearing in Volume 321 of Immunological Reviews.

Summary

Cancer cells undergoing immunogenic cell death (ICD) can initiate adaptive immune responses against dead cell-associated antigens, provided that (1) said antigens are not perfectly covered by central tolerance (antigenicity), (2) cell death occurs along with the emission of immunostimulatory cytokines and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) that actively engage immune effector mechanisms (adjuvanticity), and (3) the microenvironment of dying cells is permissive for the initiation of adaptive immunity. Finally, ICD-driven immune responses can only operate and exert cytotoxic effector functions if the microenvironment of target cancer cells enables immune cell infiltration and activity. Multiple forms of radiation, including non-ionizing (ultraviolet) and ionizing radiation, elicit bona fide ICD as they increase both the antigenicity and adjuvanticity of dying cancer cells. Here, we review the molecular determinants of ICD as elicited by radiation as we critically discuss strategies to reinforce the immunogenicity of cancer cells succumbing to clinically available radiation strategies.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

LG is/has been holding research contracts with Lytix Biopharma, Promontory and Onxeo, has received consulting/advisory honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, OmniSEQ, Onxeo, The Longevity Labs, Inzen, Imvax, Sotio, Promontory, Noxopharm, EduCom, and the Luke Heller TECPR2 Foundation, and holds Promontory stock options.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Not applicable, review article

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.