Immunogenic cell death in cold tumors: transforming immune-excluded tumors into immunotherapy-sensitive lesions

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a distinct mode of regulated cell death capable of activating adaptive immune responses against tumor antigens, offering great promise for cancer immunotherapy. However, immune-excluded or “cold” tumors, characterized by poor immune infiltration and limited responsiveness to conventional immunotherapies, remain a major clinical challenge. ICD induction has emerged as a compelling strategy to convert these immunologically inert tumors into immunotherapy-sensitive,