Morris ZS, Demaria S, Monjazeb AM, Formenti SC, Weichselbaum RR, Welsh J, Enderling H, Schoenfeld JD, Brody JD, McGee HM, Mondini M, Kent MS, Young KH, Galluzzi L, Karam SD, Theelen WSME, Chang JY, Huynh MA, Daib A, Pitroda S, Chung C, Serre R, Grassberger C, Deng J, Sodji QH, Nguyen AT, Patel RB, Krebs S, Kalbasi A, Kerr C, Vanpouille-Box C, Vick L, Aguilera TA, Ong IM, Herrera F, Menon H, Smart D, Ahmed J, Gartrell RD, Roland CL, Fekrmandi F, Chakraborty B, Bent EH, Berg TJ, Hutson A, Khleif S, Sikora AG, and Fong L
Radiotherapy both promotes and antagonises tumour immune recognition. Some clinical studies show improved patient outcomes when immunotherapies are integrated with radiotherapy. Safe, greater than additive, clinical response to the combination is limited to a subset of patients, however, and how radiotherapy can best be combined with immunotherapies remains unclear. The National Cancer Institute-Immuno-Oncology Translational Network-Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer-American Association of Immunology Workshop on Combining Immunotherapy with Radiotherapy was convened to identify and prioritise opportunities and challenges for radiotherapy and immunotherapy combinations. Sessions examined the immune effects of radiation, barriers to anti-tumour immune response, previous clinical trial data, immunological and computational assessment of response, and next-generation radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations. Panel recommendations included: developing and implementing patient selection and biomarker-guided approaches; applying mechanistic understanding to optimise delivery of radiotherapy and selection of immunotherapies; using rigorous preclinical models including companion animal studies; embracing data sharing and standardisation, advanced modelling, and multidisciplinary cross-institution collaboration; interrogating clinical data, including negative trials; and incorporating novel clinical endpoints and trial designs., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests ZSM has served as a member of the scientific advisory board for Seneca Therapeutics, Archeus Technologies, NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, and Cali Biomedical, as a consultant for Johnson & Johnson and Telix Pharmaceuticals, and has sponsored research agreements with Point Biopharmaceuticals and Telix Pharmaceuticals. He has received material support for research (drug reagents) from Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), XRD Therapeutics, Seneca Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, HiberCell, Apeiron, Nektar Therapeutics, and Invenra. He is an inventor on patents held by the University of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (Madison, WI, USA) related to select radiopharmaceutical therapies and related to combinations of radiotherapies with immunotherapies. AMM receives research support from Merck, Genentech, BMS, Transgene, Incyte, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) via the National Cancer Institute (NCI) P30CA093373 and NCI (NIH) R01 CA240751; honoraria from the ANCO Association of Northern California Oncologists and MOASC Medical Oncology Association of Southern California; payment for expert testimony from Lewis-Brisbos and Bennett Bigelow & Leedom P S Law; and research materials from Incyte. MAH reports research support from Immune-Sensor and Novartis. LF reports research support in the institution from AbbVie, Bavarian Nordic, BMS, Dendreon, Janssen, Merck, Genentech (Roche); support as a consultant to Abbvie, Actym, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Atreca, Bioatla, Bolt, BMS, Crescendo, Daiichi Sankyo, Immunogenesis, Innovent, Merck, NGMBio, Nutcracker, RAPT Therapeutics, Senti, Sutro, and Genentech (Roche); and ownership interests in Actym, Atreca, Bioatla, Bolt, Immunogenesis, Nutcracker, RAPT, and Senti, unrelated to this Policy Review. HMM reports grants from NCI (NIH) and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and travel support from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) to speak at this NCI–Immuno-Oncology Translational Network (IOTN)–SITC–American Association of Immunology (AAI) workshop. KHY reports grants from NCI (NIH); research support from BMS, Bicara Therapeutics, and Corbus Pharmaceuticals; and support as a consultant for Corbus Pharmaceuticals and Synthis Therapeutics. TAA receives research support from NCI (NIH; 5R01CA283953), Galera Therapeutic, Apexigen, and Canopy Cancer Collective; and licenses royalties and stock from Avelas Biosciences and AKSO Biopharmaceutical Biosciences. SKr has consulted for Telix Pharmaceuticals and acknowledges support for investigator services from RayzeBio; has patents PCT/US2021/039418 (THOR cell [tumour homing radioemitting cell]) and PCT/US2021/039420; and is supported by NIH R37 CA262557; Mr William H Goodwin, Mrs Alice Goodwin, the Commonwealth Foundation for Cancer Research, and The Center for Experimental Therapeutics of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and flexTDF Award. JYC reports research support from BMS, AstraZeneca, and Siemens; and serves as a clinical scientific committee member for Ion Beam Applications and consultant for AstraZeneca Global Oncology. MM declares research support from AstraZeneca, Merck Serono, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and MSD, outside the submitted work. CK reports fellowship support from NCI (NIH) F30CA268780, NIH T32GM140935, a UW-Madison Radiology MD-PhD Graduate Student Fellowship, and travel support from the NCI (NIH) to speak at this NCI–IOTN–SITC–AAI workshop. CG reports research support from NCI (NIH; R21 CA248118 and P01 CA261669). JDS declares research support paid to their institution from Merck, BMS, Regeneron, Debiopharm, Seimens, and EMD Serono; consulting or participation on a scientific advisory board; travel fees and payments for lectures from Castle Biosciences, Genentech, Immunitas, Intragel, LEK, ACI Clinical, SIRPant, Merck KGA, and EMD Serono; expert witness fees from Burns and White; stock options from Immunitas and IntraGel; equity in Doximity; and has patent applications pending: Magea1 immunogenic peptides; binding proteins recognising Magea1 immunogenic peptides, and uses thereof; and nanobody bioconjugation for immune receptor targeting. JW served on the scientific advisory board for Novocure; scientific advisory board and consulting fees from Accuray, Boehringer Ingelheim, China Medical Tribune, Genentech, GI Innovation, Kezar Life Sciences, Legion Healthcare Partners, Life Science Dynamic, McKesson, Nanorobotix, Roche, and Roche Molecular Systems; SAB, consulting, and equity from Alpine Immune Science and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals; equity from Molecular Match; is a founder of OligoImmune; research grant, travel expenses, and scientific advisory board from Nanobiotix; research grants from BMS, Merck, Hotspot Therapeutics, Gilead, Bayer Healthcare, Kiromic, Artidis, Sciclone, Takeda, and Pebble Life Science; research grant, travel expenses, and clinical sponsored research from Varian; research grant, travel expenses, stock options, and scientific advisory board from Reflexion; scientific advisory board and stock options from Oncoresponse; has a research grant and is a consultant for AstraZeneca; and a research grant and scientific advisory board from Alkermes. RBP is funded by an NIH R01 and K08 grant related to radiation immunotherapy combination, has had travel reimbursed for invited talks on radiation immunotherapy combination, and has two patents with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation related to this topic. SD declares consulting fees and serving on the scientific advisory board for Johnson & Johnson; institutional grants from Boheringer-Ingelheim, NCI, STARR Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and Department of Defense; was on the data safety monitoring board for Le Centre hospitalier universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and Department of Oncology Center for Experimental Therapeutics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland for trial CHUV-DO-0009-CyberImmunoBreast-2017; is on the scientific advisory board for Lytix Biopharma; and is the chair of the AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group. HE declares grant support from NCI (NIH) U01CA244100 and U01CA280849; holds US patents (10/301,793, 17642758 [provisional], and 63/010,327 [provisional]); and was Vice President and President for the Society for Mathematical Biology. LV received a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant (3R01CA240751-01A1S1). EHB received a grant from the NIH. RRW received grants or contracts from Varian and Regeneron; participated on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Aettis, AstraZeneca, Coordination Pharmaceuticals, Genus, Merck Serono SA, Nano Proteagen, NKGen Biotech, Shuttle Pharmaceuticals, Highlight Therapeutics SL, and Aqualung Therapeutics); and has stock or stock options for Boost Therapeutics, Immvira, Reflexion Pharmaceuticals, Coordination Pharm, Magi Therapeutics, Oncosenescence, Aqualung Therapeutics, Cyntegron, and PersonaDX. SKh received laboratory funding from NCI. JD received a one-time consulting fee from ViewRay. AGS received grants from the NIH and a sponsored research agreement from Celcuity. SCF received grants or contracts from BMS, Varian, Regeneron, Merck, and Eli Lilly; consulting fees and payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from BMS, Varian, ViewRay, Elekta, Regeneron, Eisai, AstraZeneca, Merck US, EMD Serono, Genentech (Roche), Accuray, Nanobiotix, EmBioSys, and Boehringer Ingelheim; has a leadership or fiduciary role in other boards, societies, committees, or advocacy groups, paid or unpaid for the American Association for Cancer Research, American Italian Cancer Foundation, and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. IMO received NIH travel support to attend meetings and workshops at the NIH. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)