癌症可以影响所有人体器官和组织，是导致死亡的主要原因，也是延长预期寿命的障碍。肿瘤学的一个显着突破是将免疫系统纳入抗癌领域，有可能延长寿命并提供长期益处。 Wilhelm Busch、William B. Coley 和 Paul Ehrlich 从 19 世纪和 20 世纪初就开始讨论“免疫疗法”的概念。这涉及不同的方法，包括疫苗、非特异性细胞因子和过继细胞疗法。然而，尽管近年来取得了进展，但如何选择最佳治疗方案或如何选择最佳组合来改善临床结果的问题仍然与科学家和临床医生相关。超过一半的癌症患者接受放射治疗 (RT) 作为治疗的一部分。随着放疗和免疫治疗方法的进步，有理由考虑如何用放射增强免疫治疗，反之亦然，并研究这些疗法的组合是否有益。在本章中，我们将讨论免疫系统如何响应癌细胞和不同的癌症疗法，重点是 RT 和免疫疗法（放射免疫疗法，RIT）的组合。版权所有 © 2024。由 Elsevier Inc. 出版。

Cancer can affect all human organs and tissues and ranks as a prominent cause of death as well as an obstruction to increasing life expectancy. A notable breakthrough in oncology has been the inclusion of the immune system in fighting cancer, potentially prolonging life and providing long-term benefits. The concept of "immunotherapy" has been discussed from the 19th and early 20th centuries by Wilhelm Busch, William B. Coley and Paul Ehrlich. This involves distinct approaches, including vaccines, non-specific cytokines and adoptive cell therapies. However, despite the advances made in recent years, questions on how to select the best therapeutic options or how to select the best combinations to improve clinical outcomes are still relevant for scientists and clinicians. More than half of cancer patients receive radiotherapy (RT) as part of their treatment. With the advances in RT and immunotherapy approaches, it is reasonable to consider how to enhance immunotherapy with radiation and vice versa, and to investigate whether combinations of these therapies would be beneficial. In this chapter, we will discuss how the immune system responds to cancer cells and different cancer therapies with a focus on combination of RT and immunotherapy (radioimmunotherapy, RIT).Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.