Molecular changes in breast cancer induced by radiation therapy

Breast cancer treatments are based on prognostic clinicopathological features that form the basis for therapeutic guidelines. While the utilization of these guidelines has decreased breast cancer-associated mortality rates over the past three decades, they are not adequate for individualized therapy. Radiation therapy (RT) is the backbone of breast cancer treatment. Although a highly successful therapeutic modality clinically, from a biological perspective, preclinical studies have shown RT to have the potential to alter tumor cell phenotype, immunogenicity and the surrounding microenvironment, potentially changing the behavior of cancer cells and resulting in a significant variation in RT response.
Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Critical Review Source Type: research