Methods and compositions for improving the effectiveness of X- irradiation therapy for the treatment of an internal solid tumor

摘要

Methods and pharmaceutical compositions for improving the effectiveness of radiation therapy for treating a subject having an internal solid tumor malignancy are disclosed. The methods include irradiating the tumor to release tumor-derived antigens in vivo, preparing a cellular vaccine including the isolated antigens admixed with a preparation of altered antigen presenting cells and administering the cellular vaccine to the subject. In the preferred embodiments, the antigen presenting cells are leukocytes that have been photochemically altered by subjecting the cells to photopheresis.