Clinical Radiobiology

Update on clinical radiobiology

Radiation therapy is an important local cytotoxic modality for cancer treatment whose aim is to control the disease while minimising damage to normal tissue. The combination of different treatment modalities offers a more effective cure and reduction in normal tissue toxicity. However, the differences in genetic profiles can cause diverse treatment outcomes. Multidisciplinary research, where te...

Proton radiobiology and its clinical implications

Denser ionisation clustering and complex DNA damage in proton Bragg peaks far exceeds that seen with conventional X-rays. This results in more efficient cell sterilisation, quantified by the relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Currently, a 1.1 RBE is used to determine the clinical proton doses by dividing the usual X-rays dose by this amount. This number, derived from short-term experiment...

Proton Radiobiology

In addition to the physical advantages (Bragg peak), the use of charged particles in cancer therapy can be associated with distinct biological effects compared to X-rays. While heavy ions (densely ionizing radiation) are known to have an energy- and charge-dependent increased Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE), protons should not be very different from sparsely ionizing photons. A slightly...

Radiobiology of Bladder Urothelium Clinical Significance: An Overview

Despite the fact that the bladder urothelium has a slow turnover rate, it can express a transient acute effect presenting as reduced bladder storage capacity. This is thought to be due to radiation-induced functional and biochemical changes leading to increased bladder tone and is unrelated to cell proliferation. Late radiation effect can be either (1) a consequential damage resulting from the ...

Radiobiology for Space Research