DNA Damage Response Assessments in Human Tumor Samples Provide Functional Biomarkers of Radiosensitivity

Predictive biomarkers are urgently needed for individualization of radiation therapy and treatment with radiosensitizing anticancer agents. Genomic profiling of human cancers provides us with unprecedented insight into the mutational landscape of genes directly or indirectly involved in the response to radiation-induced DNA damage. However, to what extent this wealth of structural information about the cancer genome produces biomarkers of sensitivity to radiation remains to be seen. Investigators are increasingly studying the subnuclear accumulation (ie, foci) of proteins in the DNA damage response (DDR), such as gamma-H2AX, 53BP1, or RAD51, as a surrogate of treatment sensitivity.

Source: Seminars in Radiation Oncology - September 15, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Henning Willers, Liliana Gheorghiu, Qi Liu, Jason A. Efstathiou, Lori J. Wirth, Mechthild Krause, Cläre von Neubeck Source Type: research