Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40500702›Full record

ReviewMolecular cancer2025

Enhancing radiotherapy-induced anti-tumor immunity via nanoparticle-mediated STING agonist synergy.

Qian Zeng, Min Liu, Ziqi Wang, Rongrong Zhou, Kelong Ai

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Molecular cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
42citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

42 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
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  5. Article
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  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Nanoparticle radiosensitizers in cancer radiotherapy: bridging preclinical promise and clinical reality.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
  11. Timing matters: how mechanism-guided sequencing shapes the efficacy of radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations : A systematic review.Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Rontgengesellschaft ... [et al] · 2026
    Review
  12. Review
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  16. Article
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  19. Review
  20. Extracellular cGAMP in health and disease.Molecular biomedicine · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Qian ZengDepartment of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
Min LiuXiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Ziqi WangDepartment of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
Rongrong ZhouDepartment of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China. zhourr@csu.edu.cn.
Kelong AiXiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China. aikelong@csu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82373871
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Radiotherapy (RT) remains a cornerstone treatment for over 50% of cancer patients, primarily via ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage to exert therapeutic effects. Notably, emerging studies have revealed its additional capacity to activate systemic anti-tumor immune responses through inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) and activating the cGAS-STING pathway, further expanding its therapeutic potential. However, its efficacy is often limited by immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Additionally, while RT can activate the cGAS-STING pathway, this activation remains transient and suboptimal, failing to sustain robust anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, combining RT with STING agonists may benefit traditional therapy by amplifing tumor immunogenicity and counteracting immune evasion. Despite promising results, challenges such as off-target toxicity, poor cell membrane permeability and poor bioavailability, remain obstacles to clinical translation of conventional STING agonists. Nanomedicine offers a promising approach by enabling targeted delivery of STING agonists and amplifying RT-induced DNA damage through nanoscale radiosensitizers. In this review, we provide a detailed discussion of the immune-stimulatory and immune-suppressive effects of RT, as well as the mechanisms and biological effects of selectively activating the cGAS-STING pathway in key TME components. On this basis, we further explore recent advancements in nano-STING agonists-mediated anti-tumor immunity in synergy with RT. This combinatorial approach achieves dual radiosensitization and immunostimulation, ultimately driving immune memory formation and TME reprogramming. Finally, the application prospects and challenges of nano-STING agonists-based immunotherapy are also discussed from the perspective of clinical translation.

Indexed as

Membrane ProteinsNanoparticlesNeoplasmsRadiation-Sensitizing AgentsAnimalsHumansSignal TransductionSTING ProteinTumor MicroenvironmentMembrane ProteinsRadiation-Sensitizing AgentsSTING1 protein, humanSTING ProteinCancerCGAS–STING signalingNanoparticleRadiotherapyTarget

Identifiers

PMID40500702
PMCPMC12153120

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.