Normal tissue reactions to radiotherapy: towards tailoring treatment dose by genotype.
A key challenge in radiotherapy is to maximize radiation doses to cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. As severe toxicity in a minority of patients limits the doses that can be safely given to the majority, there is interest in developing a test to measure an individual's radiosensitivity before treatment. Variation in sensitivity to radiation is an inherited genetic trait and recent progress in genotyping raises the possibility of genome-wide studies to characterize genetic profiles that predict patient response to radiotherapy.
Barnett
Gillian C
GC
Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK. gillbarnett@doctors.org.uk
West
Catherine M L
CM
Dunning
Alison M
AM
Elliott
Rebecca M
RM
Coles
Charlotte E
CE
Pharoah
Paul D P
PD
Burnet
Neil G
NG
D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*