Introduction ■ Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the top two causes of global mortality, accounting for 46% of deaths worldwide. To complicate matters further, cancer treatment has led to a significant increase in the global incidence of cardiovascular disease. A…
Introduction ■ Radiation is an integral component of many patients’ treatment regimens. The goal of radiation therapy is to deliver a dose to the target while sparing the normal tissue so that the treatment can be well tolerated. Treatment toxicity…
Introduction ■ Radiation dermatitis is one of the earliest known side effects of radiation. Almost all patients receiving radiation therapy have some changes in the skin. Acute and/or chronic skin changes may occur, which may have implications for quality of…
Introduction ■ Oral and esophageal mucosal injuries are inevitable postradiation changes, encountered with daily radiation therapy. Mucositis has remained a morbid side effect of radiation therapy since its first clinical use as an agent effective against cancer. Mucosal injury is…
Introduction Radiotherapy comprises the delivery of ionizing radiation, most commonly in the form of X-rays, for the treatment of malignant or benign neoplasms. Radiotherapy induces DNA damage either through direct ionization or through the generation of intermediary reactive oxygen species.…
Introduction ■ The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy to treat cancer has changed the treatment paradigm for many malignancies. These agents exploit suppressor and regulatory pathways to boost integrated immunity against tumors but are associated with a unique…
Introduction Recent advances in the field of immunotherapy have revolutionized the treatment of cancer and have given hope to patients with cancers that were associated with a poor prognosis. Immune therapies have now been US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved…
Introduction ■ Cancer immunoediting is the process by which malignant cells evade the immune system—first by incomplete elimination of tumor cells during immunosurveillance, followed by an equilibrium phase, and finally by an immune escape phase. The immune escape phenomenon is…
Introduction ■Cancer immunotherapy has come a long way since its inception centuries ago when, in 1777, the surgeon to the Duke of Kent injected himself with malignant cells in an effort to develop a cancer vaccine. The ability to harness…
Introduction Cancer immunotherapy has a rich history. In the late 19th century, William Coley treated sarcoma patients with intratumoral bacteria and bacterial products and demonstrated tumor shrinkage. Over the years, we have added significantly to the “immunological armament” against cancer.…