2010 Lung Cancer Research Foundation Annual Grant Program
Bradford Hoppe, MD
University of Florida
Research Project:
How Does a New Form of Radiation Therapy (Proton Therapy) Cause an Immune Response to Lung Cancer?
Summary:
It is now recognized that radiation therapy can cause an autoimmune effect against lung cancer cells, which could possibly enhance cell destruction beyond the radiation effect itself. For his research, Dr. Hoppe studied this mechanism relative to proton therapy, which is an emerging type of radiation treatment. His findings could lead to predictions on which patients may respond more effectively to radiation therapy.