Role of Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy has long held a complex place in melanoma care—once considered limited in effectiveness, now re-emerging as a precise and increasingly strategic tool, especially in advanced disease. This talk explores how modern radiation techniques are being used not only to control tumors locally, but also to potentially enhance the body’s immune response in combination with immunotherapy. At its foundation, radiation therapy uses high-energy beams—most commonly X-rays—to damage cancer cells. But today’s approaches are far more refined than in the past. Technologies like stereotactic radiosurgery allow clinicians to deliver highly targeted, high-dose radiation to specific tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. This has been especially transformative for patients with brain metastases, where preserving cognitive function is critical . Beyond local control, a growing area of research is focused on how radiation might act as an immune stimulant. By damaging tumor cells, radiation can expose antigens and trigger immune signaling—raising the possibility of a broader, systemic anti-cancer response. This phenomenon, known as the abscopal effect, remains rare but continues to drive research into how radiation and immunotherapy might work together more effectively. This session also looks ahead to emerging strategies, including radiopharmaceutical therapies designed to deliver radiation throughout the body, and ongoing efforts to optimize how, when, and where radiation is used in melanoma treatment.