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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Oct 23.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Cancer Res. 2019 Feb 27;25(14):4211–4223. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-18-0871

Figure 1. Radiation-induced immune responses in head and neck cancer.

Figure 1.

Radiation induces 1) release of tumor antigens and damage-associated molecular pattern (e.g. HMGB1) via cell death, 2) activation and migration of dendritic cells to lymph node, 3) enhanced cross-presentation of tumor antigens via upregulation of MHC I, and 4) antigen-specific T cell activation and proliferation. Radiation therapy can be combined with immunotherapy (checkpoint blockade) or chemotherapy. TLR: toll-like receptor, HMGB1: high mobility group protein B1, MHC: major histocompatibility complex, PD-1: programmed cell death-1