March - 4th RadioTransNet Workshop: Challenges and innovations in Combined Treatments

This Fourth RadioTransNet Workshop, organized in partnership with the "Tumour Targeting, Imaging, Radiotherapies" network from Cancéropole Grand Ouest, is dedicated to the Workpackage 3 of the project and aims defining strategies for optimized development of combined treatment with radiotherapy for cancer treatment. Indeed, The use of new molecular targeted agents and biological modifiers with radiation therapy may increase the anti-tumor efficacy and/or decrease the radiation effects on normal tissues, i.e. increase the therapeutic ratio and enlarge the therapeutic window. Proofs of concept have been obtained by targeting microenvironment such as hypoxia or immune cells. However, if combining drugs with irradiation could be more effective than radiotherapy alone, it may also be more toxic, indicating an absolute need for faster and earlier evaluation of the combined treatments that requires extensive researches for a better understanding of cancer biology and molecular response to ionizing radiation.