Abscopal effect

Last revised by Matt A. Morgan on 4 Sep 2020

Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data

Citation:

Gajera J, Morgan M, Abscopal effect. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 24 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-81798

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-81798

Permalink:

https://radiopaedia.org/articles/81798

rID:

81798

Article created:

3 Sep 2020, Jay Gajera ◈

Disclosures:

At the time the article was created Jay Gajera had no recorded disclosures.

View Jay Gajera's current disclosures

Last revised:

4 Sep 2020, Matt A. Morgan ◉

Disclosures:

At the time the article was last revised Matt A. Morgan had no recorded disclosures.

View Matt A. Morgan's current disclosures

Revisions:

2 times, by 2 contributors - see full revision history and disclosures

The abscopal effect is a term used in oncology which refers to a phenomenon in which a locoregional therapy for a tumor leads to systemic anti-tumor effects, such as shrinkage of distant (non-target) tumors.

While the precise mechanism(s) of action are not fully understood, there is a growing area of basic science research investigating this occurrence and it is believed the effect is due to the recruitment of the immune system.

The abscopal effect has commonly been reported after external beam radiotherapy. In interventional oncology, there are scarce case report data of abscopal effects following techniques such as brachytherapy and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of tumors.