The microbiota in radiotherapy-induced cancer immunosurveillance
Cet article examine les effets des écosystèmes microbiens sur les toxicités induites par la radiothérapie et sur les réponses immunitaires antitumorales
Radiotherapy has an established role in the clinical treatment of patients with a variety of cancers owing to the ability to preferentially kill malignant cells mostly while sparing their non-malignant counterparts. Results from phase I–II trials also suggest that radiotherapy can have therapeutically relevant immunostimulatory effects, especially when combined with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Over the past two decades, evidence has emerged showing that intestinal microbial communities have a major influence on the immunological tonus of patients with cancer and can influence sensitivity to various immunotherapies, including immune-checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Here, we critically discuss the effects of such microbial ecosystems on radiotherapy-induced toxicities and tumour-targeting immune responses, with a focus on the clinical potential of these relationships for predictive and therapeutic clinical applications.
Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology , résumé, 2025