Am J Cancer Res 2012;2(4):372-382
Review Article
The diverse and complex roles of radiation on cancer treatment: therapeutic
target and genome maintenance
Rajamanickam Baskar, Swee Peng Yap, Kevin Lee Min Chua, Koji Itahana
Department of Radiation Oncology; Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre; Cancer and Stem Cell
Biology Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
Received April 24, 2012; accepted May 19, 2012; Epub June 28, 2012; Published July 15, 2012
Abstract: Cancer is a genetic disease, grows exponentially with the development of intrinsic and acquired treatment resistance.
Past decade has witnessed a considerable progress towards the treatment and understanding of proposed hallmarks of cancer
and together with advances in early detection and various treatment modalities. Radiation therapy is an integral part of cancer
treatment armamentarium. In developed countries more than half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy during their
course of illness. Although radiation damages both cancer and normal cells, the goal of radiation therapy is to maximize the
radiation dose to abnormal cancer cells while minimizing exposure to normal cells, which is adjacent to cancer cells or in the
path of radiation. In recent years, life expectancy increases among cancer patients and this increase is due to the results of early
diagnosis, screening efforts, improved treatments and with less late effects mostly secondary cancer development. Therefore,
cancer survivorship issues have been gaining prominence in the area of radiation oncology research. Understanding the
tradeoff between the expected decreases in normal tissue toxicity resulting from an improved radiation dose distribution to the
targeted site is an increasingly pertinent, yet needed attention and research in the area of radiation oncology. In recent years, a
number of potential molecular targets that involve either with radiation increased tumor cell killing or protecting normal cells have
been identified. For clinical benefits, translating these findings to maximize the toxicity of radiation on tumor cells while
safeguarding early or late normal cell toxicities using molecular targeted radioprotectors will be useful in radiation treatment.
(AJCR0000117).
Keywords: Cancer, radiation therapy, radioprotectors, normal genome maintenance
Address all correspondence to:
Dr. Rajamanickam Baskar
Department of Radiation Oncology
Molecular Radiation Biology Laboratory
Division of Cellular and Molecular Research
National Cancer Centre
11- Hospital Drive, Singapore-169610
Republic of Singapore.
Tel: +65- 6436 8315; Fax: +65-6222 8675
E-mail: r.baskar@nccs.com.sg
Review Article
The diverse and complex roles of radiation on cancer treatment: therapeutic
target and genome maintenance
Rajamanickam Baskar, Swee Peng Yap, Kevin Lee Min Chua, Koji Itahana
Department of Radiation Oncology; Division of Cellular and Molecular Research, National Cancer Centre; Cancer and Stem Cell
Biology Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
Received April 24, 2012; accepted May 19, 2012; Epub June 28, 2012; Published July 15, 2012
Abstract: Cancer is a genetic disease, grows exponentially with the development of intrinsic and acquired treatment resistance.
Past decade has witnessed a considerable progress towards the treatment and understanding of proposed hallmarks of cancer
and together with advances in early detection and various treatment modalities. Radiation therapy is an integral part of cancer
treatment armamentarium. In developed countries more than half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy during their
course of illness. Although radiation damages both cancer and normal cells, the goal of radiation therapy is to maximize the
radiation dose to abnormal cancer cells while minimizing exposure to normal cells, which is adjacent to cancer cells or in the
path of radiation. In recent years, life expectancy increases among cancer patients and this increase is due to the results of early
diagnosis, screening efforts, improved treatments and with less late effects mostly secondary cancer development. Therefore,
cancer survivorship issues have been gaining prominence in the area of radiation oncology research. Understanding the
tradeoff between the expected decreases in normal tissue toxicity resulting from an improved radiation dose distribution to the
targeted site is an increasingly pertinent, yet needed attention and research in the area of radiation oncology. In recent years, a
number of potential molecular targets that involve either with radiation increased tumor cell killing or protecting normal cells have
been identified. For clinical benefits, translating these findings to maximize the toxicity of radiation on tumor cells while
safeguarding early or late normal cell toxicities using molecular targeted radioprotectors will be useful in radiation treatment.
(AJCR0000117).
Keywords: Cancer, radiation therapy, radioprotectors, normal genome maintenance
Address all correspondence to:
Dr. Rajamanickam Baskar
Department of Radiation Oncology
Molecular Radiation Biology Laboratory
Division of Cellular and Molecular Research
National Cancer Centre
11- Hospital Drive, Singapore-169610
Republic of Singapore.
Tel: +65- 6436 8315; Fax: +65-6222 8675
E-mail: r.baskar@nccs.com.sg
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American Journal of Cancer Research
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