Biological effects of intraoperative radiation therapy: histopathological changes and immunomodulation in breast cancer patients.
Publication Title
Front Immunol
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Keywords
california; santa monica; sjci; Breast Neoplasms; Humans; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; Aged; Tumor Microenvironment; Receptors, Steroid; Receptor, ErbB-2; Gene Expression Profiling; T-Lymphocytes; Dendritic Cells; Monocytes
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) delivers a single accelerated radiation dose to the breast tumor bed during breast-conserving surgery (BCS). The synergistic biologic effects of simultaneous surgery and radiation remain unclear. This study explores the cellular and molecular changes induced by IORT in the tumor microenvironment and its impact on the immune response modulation.
METHODS: Patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative, ductal carcinoma
RESULTS: Squamous metaplasia with atypia was exclusively identified in IORT specimens (63.6%,
CONCLUSION: IORT induces histological changes, including squamous metaplasia with atypia, and elicits molecular alterations associated with immune response and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. The increased abundance of immune-related components in breast tissue exposed to IORT suggests a potential shift towards active immunogenicity, particularly immune-desert tumors like HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer.
Area of Special Interest
Women & Children
Area of Special Interest
Cancer
Specialty/Research Institute
Oncology
Specialty/Research Institute
Surgery
Specialty/Research Institute
Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
DOI
10.3389/fimmu.2024.1373497
