Bystander effects and their implications for clinical radiotherapy

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bystander effects and their implications for clinical radiotherapy

AU - Munro, Alastair J.

PY - 2009/6

Y1 - 2009/6

N2 - Radiation-induced bystander effects are defined as those biological effects expressed, after irradiation, by cells whose nuclei have not been directly irradiated. Radiation oncologists are only gradually beginning to appreciate the clinical relevance of radiation-induced bystander effects and associated phenomena: adaptive responses, genomic instability and abscopal effects. Incorporating bystander effects into the science underpinning clinical radiotherapy will involve moving beyond simple mechanistic models and towards a more systems-based approach. It is, given the protean nature of bystander effects, difficult to devise a coherent research strategy to investigate the clinical impact and relevance of bystander phenomena. Epidemiological approaches will be required, the traditional research models based on randomised controlled trials are unlikely to be adequate for the task. Any consideration of bystander effects challenges not only clinicians' preconceptions concerning the effects of radiation on tumours and normal tissues but also their ingenuity. This review covers, from a clinical perspective, the issues and problems associated with radiation-induced bystander effects.

AB - Radiation-induced bystander effects are defined as those biological effects expressed, after irradiation, by cells whose nuclei have not been directly irradiated. Radiation oncologists are only gradually beginning to appreciate the clinical relevance of radiation-induced bystander effects and associated phenomena: adaptive responses, genomic instability and abscopal effects. Incorporating bystander effects into the science underpinning clinical radiotherapy will involve moving beyond simple mechanistic models and towards a more systems-based approach. It is, given the protean nature of bystander effects, difficult to devise a coherent research strategy to investigate the clinical impact and relevance of bystander phenomena. Epidemiological approaches will be required, the traditional research models based on randomised controlled trials are unlikely to be adequate for the task. Any consideration of bystander effects challenges not only clinicians' preconceptions concerning the effects of radiation on tumours and normal tissues but also their ingenuity. This review covers, from a clinical perspective, the issues and problems associated with radiation-induced bystander effects.

KW - INDUCED GENOMIC INSTABILITY

KW - EVENING PRIMROSE OIL

KW - IONIZING-RADIATION

KW - DNA-DAMAGE

KW - STATIN USE

KW - IN-VITRO

KW - COLORECTAL-CANCER

KW - SYSTEMS BIOLOGY

KW - TISSUE

KW - CELL

U2 - 10.1088/0952-4746/29/2A/S09

DO - 10.1088/0952-4746/29/2A/S09

M3 - Article

C2 - 19454811

SN - 0952-4746

VL - 29

SP - A133-A142

JO - Journal of Radiological Protection

JF - Journal of Radiological Protection

IS - 2A

ER -