"We hope to discover the major mechanisms involved in the above-mentioned immune responses," said Helm. "Being aware of these mechanisms would enable us to set up appropriate changes in the treatment, leading more efficiently to an increased activation of the immune response."

One example, he says, involves the fractionation scheme in radiotherapy, which has been shown to have a crucial role on the immunogenicity of the induced cell death. "A hypofractionated scheme, in which higher doses (as compared to conventional RT) are applied in a shorter time span, were reported beneficial; and carbon ions, owing to their peculiar physical features are a perfect match for hypofractionation. We, therefore, seek to underline the potential of the combination therapy we are investigating."


Future research requires the applications to be tested in clinical studies with international partners, according to the researchers.

The findings were published in International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

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