ATR Inhibition Potentiates the Radiation-induced Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment.

Purpose: ATR inhibitors (ATRi) are in early phase clinical trials and have been shown to sensitize to chemotherapy and radiotherapy preclinically. Limited data have been published about the effect of these drugs on the tumor microenvironment. We used an immunocompetent mouse model of HPV-driven malignancies to investigate the ATR inhibitor AZD6738 in combination with fractionated radiation (RT).

The tumour microenvironment after radiotherapy: mechanisms of resistance and recurrence.

Radiotherapy plays a central part in curing cancer. For decades, most research on improving treatment outcomes has focused on modulating radiation-induced biological effects on cancer cells. Recently, we have better understood that components within the tumour microenvironment have pivotal roles in determining treatment outcomes.