BACKGROUND Death receptors (DR) of the TNF family function as anti-tumor immune effector molecules. Tumor cells, however, often exhibit DR-signaling resistance. Previous studies indicate that radiation can modify gene expression within tumor cells and increase tumor cell sensitivity to immune attack. The aim of this study is to investigate the synergistic effect of sub-lethal doses of ionizing ...

The Akt signal transduction pathway controls most hallmarks of cancer. Activation of the Akt cascade promotes a malignant phenotype and is also widely implicated in drug resistance. Therefore, the modulation of Akt activity is regarded as an attractive strategy to enhance the efficacy of cancer therapy and irradiation. This pathway consists of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), mammalian tar...

PURPOSE Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors potentiate radiation therapy in preclinical models of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other types of cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying radiosensitization in vivo are incompletely understood. Herein, we investigated the impact of hypoxia on radiosensitization by the PARP inhibitor olaparib in human NSCLC xenograft models...

Although clinical trials of antiangiogenic strategies have been disappointing when administered as single agents, such approaches can play an important role in cancer treatment when combined with conventional therapies. Previous studies have shown that DC101, an antiangiogenic monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, can produce significant growth inhibition in...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. There was rapidprogress in the treatment of lung cancer duringpast decades, but local control and survival rates are still poor. Radiation therapy has been an indispensable part of the management of lung cancer, and a recent paradigm is concurrent chemoradiation therapy. Many novel chemotherapeutic agents were recent...

INTRODUCTION Radio-sensitizing agents sensitize tumor cells to the lethal effects of radiotherapy (RT) allowing for use of lower doses of radiation to achieve equivalent cancer control, while minimizing adverse effects to normal tissues. Given their limited toxicity and ability to easily integrate into the diet, compounds occurring naturally in the diet make ideal potential radio-sensitizing ag...

A causal link between the increasing environmental pollution and the fast spreading of allergic diseases is currently discussed. The exogenic and endogenic noxious agents contributing to the total environmental load are primarily acting through immunotoxic, sensitizing and neurotoxic mechanisms in animal experiments and in humans. Beside classic allergic-triggering factors (allergen potency, in...