ReviewNature reviews. Cancer2026
Radiation as an immune modulator: mechanisms and implications for combination with immunotherapy.
Review in Nature reviews. Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07791602 (Induction Chemoimmunotherapy Followed by Deescalated Definitive Radiotherapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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.
Induction Chemoimmunotherapy Followed by Deescalated Definitive Radiotherapy (IDEAL-RT) in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Prospective, Phase II, Randomized Non-Inferiority Controlled Trial
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and safety of immunotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy in limited-stage small cell lung cancer: a systematic evaluation and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- Harnessing necroptosis via RIPK1 degradation to potentiate radio-immunotherapy in cervical cancer.Bioactive materials · 2027Article
- Neoadjuvant Early Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Followed by Chemoimmunotherapy in Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.Advances in radiation oncology · 2026Article
- Combining Radiation Therapy and Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Therapy: Biological Rationale, Clinical Synergies, and Future Directions.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Review
- Review
- Review
- A cuproptosis-inducing covalent organic framework synergizes with oncolytic virus for tumor radiotherapy.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Radiotherapy and immunotherapy in cancer treatment: mechanisms of clinical synergy.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Review
- Review
- Nucleotide Metabolism in Health and Disease.MedComm · 2026Review
- From local control to immune synergy: the evolving role of stereotactic body radiotherapy in the immunotherapy era of hepatocellular carcinoma.Hepatobiliary surgery and nutrition · 2026Article
- A Microbial Lipid-ATP Synthase Axis Fuels NK Cell Antitumor Activity.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Low-dose radiotherapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced malignancies: a real-world exploratory study.Translational cancer research · 2026Article
- Article
- Spatiotemporally programmed nanomedicine engineering to resolve conflicting immunosignals in triple-negative breast cancer.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Article
- Three-Discipline Collaborative Radiation Therapy (3DCRT) debate: Medical physics should focus less on geometric precision and more on biological outcomes.Journal of applied clinical medical physics · 2026Article
- Chemotherapy with bevacizumab and pembrolizumab followed by radiotherapy for unclassified round cell sarcomas of the gallbladder: A case report and review of literature.Translational oncology · 2026Review
- Mapping breast cancer lineage in radiation and immunotherapy using the REMAP mouse.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Radiotherapy meets anticancer metallodrugs.Medical review (2021) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Radiation therapy can directly kill cancer cells, while simultaneously modulating the immune response. The advent of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) provided compelling rationale for combination with radiation therapy to improve systemic tumour control. Although this strategy has improved survival in specific contexts, including cervical cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, the majority of combination trials have not demonstrated clinical benefit and predictive biomarkers remain elusive. These heterogeneous outcomes reflect fundamental gaps in understanding how radiation parameters influence immunological responses. Technological advances enabling diverse radiation delivery protocols have revealed that dose and fractionation profoundly impact the balance between immunostimulation and immunosuppression. Emerging evidence indicates that radiation protocols optimized for cytotoxic effects may not be optimal for immunological synergy with ICB. In this Review, we examine how radiation dose, fractionation and treatment volume shape local and systemic immunity, reconciling mechanistic insights with divergent clinical trial outcomes. We provide rationale for transitioning from empirical combinations towards immunologically informed radiation protocols that could help realize the full potential of radioimmunotherapy combinations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41577962What 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.