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.

Clinical Institute

Women & Children

Clinical Institute

Cancer

Specialty

Oncology

Specialty

Surgery

Specialty

Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Link to Full Text

PSJH Full Text

Share

COinS