Abscopal Effect of Radiotherapy in Imatinib-resistant Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans

Local tumor control and symptom relief have been the major advantage of radiotherapy in clinical practice. In the past years, the systemic anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy, also known as the abscopal effect, has been reported with limited studies. With the advent of immunotherapy, the frequency of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2019-01, Vol.11 (1), p.e3857
Main Authors: Agyeman, Mervin B, Vanderpuye, Verna D, Yarney, Joel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergy/Immunology
Antigen presentation
Apoptosis
Bladder cancer
Cancer therapies
Case reports
Cytotoxicity
Drug dosages
Immune system
Immunotherapy
Inhibitor drugs
Ligands
Lymphocytes
Medical research
Metastasis
Nuclear medicine
Oncology
Prostheses
Radiation Oncology
Radiation therapy
Senescence
Targeted cancer therapy
Teaching hospitals
Tumors
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Summary:Local tumor control and symptom relief have been the major advantage of radiotherapy in clinical practice. In the past years, the systemic anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy, also known as the abscopal effect, has been reported with limited studies. With the advent of immunotherapy, the frequency of the abscopal effect has increased in patients who receive sequential treatment with radiotherapy and immunotherapy or patients who receive radiotherapy after acquiring resistance to immunotherapy. A novel cancer treatment modality, such as molecular targeted therapy, has been associated with the immune response within the tumor but its systemic anti-tumor effect, when combined with radiotherapy, is yet to be documented. There have been few studies to date assessing the immunological effects of imatinib on tumors; however, the mechanism of tumor regression or resistance acquisition is poorly understood. We present a 56-year-old male diagnosed with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) who developed resistance to imatinib after five months of treatment. Following subsequent local radiotherapy to the primary tumor, he had complete clinical remission of the primary and metastatic lesions.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.3857