The abscopal effect in patients with cancer receiving immunotherapy

Interest in the abscopal effect has been rekindled over the past decade with the advent of immunotherapy. Although purportedly elusive, this phenomenon is being increasingly reported. Venturing further using a multimodality approach with an array of systemic agents and unconventional modalities is direly needed. In this perspective, we describe the fundamentals of abscopal responses (ARs), explore combinations with systemic therapies that hold prom-ise in eliciting ARs, and reconnoiter unconventional modalities that may induce ARs. Finally, we scrutinize prospective agents and modalities that exhibit preclinical ability to elicit ARs and discuss prognostic biomarkers, their limitations, and pathways of abscopal resistance for reproducibility.

Automated summary

With the emergence of immunotherapy, interest in the abscopal effect has been renewed. This phenomenon, although once considered elusive, is now increasingly reported. Further exploration using a multimodality approach and unconventional modalities is urgently needed.