THE EFFECT AND MECHANISM OF PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY IN ENHANCING ANTI-TUMOR IMMUNE RESPONSE IN GASTRIC CANCER

Gastric cancer is one of the most common digestive tract tumors. In recent years, immunotherapy, represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), has made significant progress. However, the application of ICI in gastric cancer still faces challenges. The therapeutic response to ICI is correlated with the tumor immune microenvironment. However, the majority of gastric cancer patients have a “desert-like” microenvironment with poor immune infiltration, leading to suboptimal efficacy of ICI in gastric cancer. Therefore, increasing the “hotness” of the tumor microenvironment in gastric cancer to enhance patients’ response to ICI has become a critical issue that needs to be addressed. Additionally, studies have found that PDT plays an important role in promoting anti-tumor immune responses. PDT-induced tumor cell death acts as a strong immune modulator, serving as a source of immune stimulation signals. Therefore, we believe that PDT may help address the challenge of ICI resistance in gastric cancer.