Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer amongst South African women and is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in this region. Several international studies on radiation‑induced DNA damage in lymphocytes of cervical cancer patients have remained inconclusive. Despite the high incidence of cervical cancer in South Africa, and the extensive use of radiotherapy to treat it, t...

The hypothesis tested is that a 24-h pre-irradiation-exposure of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to the benzene metabolite hydroquinone (HQ), at doses that are non-acutely toxic (5 microM), induces a less efficient G2-M-checkpoint and enhances the G2-chromosomal radiosensitivity in a statistically significant manner (p<0.01). A less efficient G2-M-checkpoint may allow the transition of damag...

INTRODUCTION Human double minute2 (hdm2) level increases in most human malignancies. Therefore, inhibition of tumor growth and also induction of radiosensitivity may be provided by hdm2 inhibitors. The effects of hdm2-siRNA on hdm2 protein expression, cell apoptosis rate, and radiosensitivity of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were studied. METHODS The hdm2 gene was silenced i...

Radiotherapy treats cancer by inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in tumor cells using ionizing radiation. However, DNA repair in tumor cells often leads to radioresistance and unsuccessful outcome. Inhibition of DNA repair by targeting repair proteins can increase radiosensitivity of tumor cells. The BRG1 chromatin remodeling enzyme assists DSB repair by stimulating γ-H2AX formation and BR...

The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether an enhanced skin radiation reaction correlated with an enhanced chromosome radiation response. Twelve patients with late radiation skin ulcers formed after courses of radiation therapy were chosen as a group of individuals with elevated skin radiosensitivity. Half of the venous blood samples from each donor were irradiated with 2 Gy gamma-rays;...

Radiotherapy has become a popular and standard approach for treating cancer patients because it greatly improves patient survival. However, some of the patients receiving radiotherapy suffer from adverse effects and do not obtain survival benefits. This may be attributed to the fact that most radiation treatment plans are designed based on cancer type, without consideration of each individual's...

Telomeres, the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, have a variable length among individuals and cell types. While studies in telomerase-deficient mice and cells showed an inverse correlation between telomere length and radiosensitivity, it is less clear whether this remains true in telomerase-proficient cells. To gain insight into this topic, we studied radiosensitivity in three telomerase immortal...

The recombinant protein flagellin A (FlaA) N/C, derived from the flagellin protein of Legionella pneumophila, has been shown to increase the expression of cytoprotective cytokines, activate the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, and increase the survival of mice following total body irradiation. Determi ning whether FlaA N/C has a sensitizing effect on tumor radiation or a direct tumo...