TY - CHAP
T1 - Innovative Strategies to Enhance Radiosensitivity
T2 - Hyperthermia, Nanoparticles, and DNA Repair Inhibition
AU - Taleei, Reza
AU - Rodrigues, Dario
AU - Oei, Arlene
AU - Krishnan, Sunil
AU - Koushki, Khadijeh
AU - Abolfath, Ramin
AU - Weinfeld, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
PY - 2025/1/1
Y1 - 2025/1/1
N2 - Radiation therapy (RT) is a key component of modern cancer care. It uses high-intensity ionizing radiation to target and control tumor cells. Despite advancements in RT techniques, challenges such as tumor heterogeneity and radioresistant cells limit its clinical efficacy. This chapter explores innovative strategies to enhance radiosensitivity, focusing on hyperthermia, nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers, and DNA repair inhibition. Hyperthermia involves elevating tumor temperatures to 40–44 °C, enhancing blood flow, reoxygenating hypoxic regions, and disrupting DNA repair mechanisms, thereby increasing radiosensitivity. Clinical applications have demonstrated its efficacy across various cancer types, including cervical, breast, and head-and-neck cancers. Nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers utilize high atomic number elements like gold, gadolinium, and hafnium to amplify local radiation doses within tumors. These nanoparticles enhance the photoelectric effect, generating secondary electrons that increase oxidative stress and DNA damage in cancer cells. The chapter discusses the potential of various nanoparticles, including gold, gadolinium, silver, and iron, highlighting their mechanisms, therapeutic benefits, and challenges in clinical translation. DNA repair inhibition targets specific pathways involved in repairing radiation-induced DNA damage. By inhibiting key enzymes in these pathways, such as PARP, ATR, and DNA-PK, radiosensitizers can enhance the effectiveness of RT. The chapter reviews the mechanisms of DNA repair inhibitors, their preclinical and clinical data, and the potential for combination therapies to improve treatment outcomes. In conclusion, integrating hyperthermia, nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers, and DNA repair inhibition represents a promising frontier in enhancing RT efficacy. These approaches offer multifaceted strategies to overcome tumor radioresistance, potentially revolutionizing cancer therapy and improving patient survival rates.
AB - Radiation therapy (RT) is a key component of modern cancer care. It uses high-intensity ionizing radiation to target and control tumor cells. Despite advancements in RT techniques, challenges such as tumor heterogeneity and radioresistant cells limit its clinical efficacy. This chapter explores innovative strategies to enhance radiosensitivity, focusing on hyperthermia, nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers, and DNA repair inhibition. Hyperthermia involves elevating tumor temperatures to 40–44 °C, enhancing blood flow, reoxygenating hypoxic regions, and disrupting DNA repair mechanisms, thereby increasing radiosensitivity. Clinical applications have demonstrated its efficacy across various cancer types, including cervical, breast, and head-and-neck cancers. Nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers utilize high atomic number elements like gold, gadolinium, and hafnium to amplify local radiation doses within tumors. These nanoparticles enhance the photoelectric effect, generating secondary electrons that increase oxidative stress and DNA damage in cancer cells. The chapter discusses the potential of various nanoparticles, including gold, gadolinium, silver, and iron, highlighting their mechanisms, therapeutic benefits, and challenges in clinical translation. DNA repair inhibition targets specific pathways involved in repairing radiation-induced DNA damage. By inhibiting key enzymes in these pathways, such as PARP, ATR, and DNA-PK, radiosensitizers can enhance the effectiveness of RT. The chapter reviews the mechanisms of DNA repair inhibitors, their preclinical and clinical data, and the potential for combination therapies to improve treatment outcomes. In conclusion, integrating hyperthermia, nanoparticle-based radiosensitizers, and DNA repair inhibition represents a promising frontier in enhancing RT efficacy. These approaches offer multifaceted strategies to overcome tumor radioresistance, potentially revolutionizing cancer therapy and improving patient survival rates.
KW - DNA repair
KW - Hyperthermia
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Radiosensitization
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105022369342
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-95724-6_4
DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-95724-6_4
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9783031957239
T3 - From Radiobiology to Radiation Oncology
SP - 55
EP - 77
BT - From Radiobiology to Radiation Oncology
PB - Springer Science+Business Media
ER -