Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 43 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0The Journal of International Medical Research

Radiation-induced temporal lobe injury disrupts neuro-immune crosstalk: A key driver of immune dysfunction in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

  • Juan Gao1
  • Rongbing Xie2
  • Chanjuan Rao1
  • Jiao Jiao3
  • Weiwei Zhang4
  • Yang Hu5
  • Bin Yang5
  • He Zhao6
  • Ping Yuan1
  • Tao Xie1
  • Caibao Jin5
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, TongJi Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
  2. 2Department of General Surgery, Macheng People's Hospital, China
  3. 3Department of Oncology, Yidu People's Hospital, China
  4. 4Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Honghu People's Hospital of Jingzhou City, China
  5. 5Department of Oncology, Hubei Cancer Hospital, TongJi Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
  6. 6Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yong’an Community Health Service Center of Xian’an District Xianning City, China
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is highly prevalent in China. Combined therapy centered on radiotherapy has significantly improved the 5-year overall survival rate of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, exceeding 80%. However, radiation temporal lobe injury remains a serious late complication. Despite advances in precision radiotherapy, its incidence is 5%–15%, considerably affecting the prognosis and quality of life of patients. Radiation temporal lobe injury is triggered by multiple mechanisms, including direct radiation-induced damage to neurons and glial cells, ischemia and hypoxia resulting from endothelial injury, and imbalanced immunoinflammatory responses dominated by M1 microglia. Importantly, radiation temporal lobe injury disrupts neuro-immune crosstalk, leading to a decrease in peripheral lymphocytes and natural killer cells, an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, and systemic immune suppression, thereby further increasing the risk of infection and tumor recurrence. This narrative review complies with the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles. We systematically retrieved and organized published clinical and preclinical studies on radiation temporal lobe injury and comprehensively summarized the pathogenesis of radiation temporal lobe injury; its regulatory effects on immune function; and current prevention and treatment strategies, including precision radiotherapy optimization and drug intervention. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying the radiation temporal lobe injury as well as prevention and treatment strategies after radical radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, ultimately improving the long-term quality of life of survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma following radical radiotherapy.

Related

  1. Utilization of 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT improves the gross tumor volume delineation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma within a safe radiation dose to organs at risk
    Yiqiao Luo, Xiao Zhong, Huaju Yang +7
    Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgeryPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMedical imaging & radiologyEurope PMC
  2. A Delphi consensus recommendations from China for the management of radiation-induced hearing loss in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
    Xin Zhang, Si-Qi Cai, Hong-Jiang Chen +24
    BMC medicinePeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textGeneral medicineEurope PMCPMC
  3. Primary Epstein–Barr virus-negative lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx mimicking nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case report
    Journal of surgical case reportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NCFull textSurgery & anaesthesiaEurope PMC
  4. The association between serum uric acid and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a comprehensive meta-analysis of observational studies
    Xin Wang, Shukai Zheng, Taifeng Du
    Frontiers in oncologyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textOncologyEurope PMC
  5. Rethinking nasopharyngeal carcinoma management: toward a low-toxicity, highly effective regimen with favorable tolerability and quality of life
    Yingni Zhang, Chunxian Ou, Cheng Xu
    Cancer Biology & MedicinePeer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Full textGeneral medicinePMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{gao2026radiationinduced,
  title = {{Radiation-induced temporal lobe injury disrupts neuro-immune crosstalk: A key driver of immune dysfunction in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma}},
  author = {Juan Gao and Rongbing Xie and Chanjuan Rao and Jiao Jiao and Weiwei Zhang and Yang Hu and Bin Yang and He Zhao and Ping Yuan and Tao Xie and Caibao Jin},
  journal = {The Journal of International Medical Research},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1177/03000605261483860},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605261483860},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Radiation-induced temporal lobe injury disrupts neuro-immune crosstalk: A key driver of immune dysfunction in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma
AU  - Juan Gao
AU  - Rongbing Xie
AU  - Chanjuan Rao
AU  - Jiao Jiao
AU  - Weiwei Zhang
AU  - Yang Hu
AU  - Bin Yang
AU  - He Zhao
AU  - Ping Yuan
AU  - Tao Xie
AU  - Caibao Jin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
JO  - The Journal of International Medical Research
DO  - 10.1177/03000605261483860
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1177/03000605261483860
AB  - Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is highly prevalent in China. Combined therapy centered on radiotherapy has significantly improved the 5-year overall survival rate of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, exceeding 80%. However, radiation temporal lobe injury remains a serious late complication. Despite advances in precision radiotherapy, its incidence is 5%–15%, considerably affecting the prognosis and quality of life of patients. Radiation temporal lobe injury is triggered by multiple mechanisms, including direct radiation-induced damage to neurons and glial cells, ischemia and hypoxia resulting from endothelial injury, and imbalanced immunoinflammatory responses dominated by M1 microglia. Importantly, radiation temporal lobe injury disrupts neuro-immune crosstalk, leading to a decrease in peripheral lymphocytes and natural killer cells, an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, and systemic immune suppression, thereby further increasing the risk of infection and tumor recurrence. This narrative review complies with the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles. We systematically retrieved and organized published clinical and preclinical studies on radiation temporal lobe injury and comprehensively summarized the pathogenesis of radiation temporal lobe injury; its regulatory effects on immune function; and current prevention and treatment strategies, including precision radiotherapy optimization and drug intervention. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying the radiation temporal lobe injury as well as prevention and treatment strategies after radical radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, ultimately improving the long-term quality of life of survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma following radical radiotherapy.
SN  - 0300-0605
SN  - 1473-2300
ER  -