Emerging strategies to target cancer metabolism and improve radiation therapy outcomes.

Emerging strategies to target cancer metabolism and improve radiation therapy outcomes. Br J Radiol. 2020 May 28;:20200067 Authors: Kery M, Papandreou I Abstract Cancer-specific metabolic changes support the anabolic needs of the rapidly growing tumor, maintain a favorable redox balance and help cells adapt to microenvironmental stresses like hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. Radiation is extensively applied in a large number of cancer treatment protocols but despite its curative potential, radiation resistance and treatment failures pose a serious problem. Metabolic control of DNA integrity and genomic stability can occur through multiple processes, encompassing cell cycle regulation, nucleotide synthesis, epigenetic regulation of gene activity and antioxidant defenses. Given the important role of metabolic pathways in oxidative damage responses, it is necessary to assess the potential for tumor-specific radiosensitization by novel metabolism-targeted therapies. Additionally, there are opportunities to identify molecular and functional biomarkers of vulnerabilities to combination treatments, which could then inform clinical decisions. Here, we present a curated list of metabolic pathways in the context of ionizing radiation responses. Glutamine metabolism influences DNA damage responses by mechanisms such as synthesis of nucleotides for DNA repair or of glutathione for ROS detoxification. Repurposed oxygen consumption inhibitors hav...
Source: The British Journal of Radiology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Br J Radiol Source Type: research