Molecular and translational radiation biology/oncology: what's up?

摘要

The field of radiation oncology has witnessed remarkable developments over the past several decades in imaging, treatment planning, and treatment delivery techniques such that it is now possible to deliver radiation dose in extremely sophisticated ways with a high degree of precision. This has led to improvements in patient outcome and/or a reduction in the risk of normal tissue complications for several tumor types. However, regardless of how advanced these dose delivery methods get, we are faced with the fact that radiation responses in tumors, and to a less but still significant extent in normal tissues, remain variable from patient to patient. The science of radiobiology is based on the fact that the response of cells, tissues, and even whole organisms to a given radiation dose, what is collectively referred to as radiosensitivity, is highly specific. This is because radiosensitivity is strongly influenced by a host of biological factors, and these factors influence both the way radiation should be delivered and its potential to be therapeutically effective. Consequently, future improvements in radiation oncology will continue to require attempts to target, or at least consider, the biological basis for these differences.