Using Genetics to Identify Cancer Patients at Risk for Development of Adverse Effects Following Radiotherapy

ABSTRACT Normal-tissue adverse effects following radiotherapy are common and signifi cantly affect quality of life. These effects cannot be accounted for by dosimetric, treatment, or demographic factors alone, and evidence suggests that common genetic variants are associated with radiotherapy adverse effects. The fi eld of radiogenomics has evolved to identify such genetic risk factors. Radiogenomics has two goals: (i) to develop an assay to predict which patients with cancer are most likely to develop radiation injuries resulting from radiotherapy, and (ii) to obtain information about the molecular pathways responsible for radiation-induced normal-tissue toxicities. This review summarizes the history of the fi eld and current research.