ArticleJournal of translational medicine2025
Distinct immune responses to proton and photon radiotherapy: implications for anti-PD-L1 combination therapy in colorectal cancer.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Challenges and opportunities in combining radiotherapy and immunotherapy for localized pancreatic cancer.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Migration of immune cells in tumors and inflammation: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Metabolism and Immunity-Adapted Radiotherapy (M.I.A.R): A Conceptual Framework for Overcoming the Therapeutic Plateau in Clinical Radiotherapy.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- C5aR1 and cGAS/STING and their possible involvement in radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer.iScience · 2026Review
- Review
- Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Radiotherapy: Regulation and Clinical Implications.Journal of Cancer · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIonizing radiation can influence the antitumor immune response, either activating or suppressing the immune system depending on the tumor type and radiotherapy modality. While photon radiation (RT) combined with immunotherapy (IT) is widely studied in clinical trials, proton radiation (PT) combined with IT has not been thoroughly investigated in clinical or preclinical studies despite its radiobiological advantages. This study aims to explore the immune effects of a hypofractionated PT scheme compared to RT and its efficacy with anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.
methodsBalb/c mice bearing subcutaneous CT26 colon tumors were treated with RT or PT, delivered with 3 × 8 Gy. Seven days post-treatment, transcriptomic analysis and immune response assessments to characterize lymphoid cells, myeloid cells, and PD-L1 expression were performed. Tumor growth was monitored to evaluate the efficacy of combining RT or PT with anti-PD-L1 IT.
resultsThe RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated an overexpression of genes involved in the interferon type I pathway after both RT and PT. Tumor microenvironment analysis showed enhanced immune cell infiltration in tumors after both treatments. Immunoactivating cells infiltration was observed, with LT CD8 + cells infiltration after both RT and PT, more significantly after RT. NK and TAM1 cells infiltrated only after RT. Immunosuppressive cell populations were induced by PT, including MDSCs, while Tregs infiltrated both RT and PT treated tumors. PD-L1 expression was significantly induced only by RT. The combination of anti-PD-L1 with RT or PT resulted in tumor growth delay compared to RT or PT alone, with a significant survival benefit observed only after the combination of RT and IT.
conclusionsThis study demonstrates that hypofractionated RT and PT induced both similar and significantly distinct immune responses. PT triggers a stronger immunosuppressive response than RT. Optimizing the combination of PT with IT, including dose, fractionation, and sequencing is crucial for improving treatment efficacy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.