Science to practice: why debate the role of Dbait for improving tumor ablation?

In this basic research study, Devun et al report an interesting set of experimental studies that document that adjuvant administration of Dbait, a DNA repair inhibitor, can be used to increase cytotoxicity of hyperthermia in in vitro cell lines and the effectiveness of tumor ablation from a given radiofrequency ablation application, including increased animal survival. The key novelty of this study lies in the use of this agent to take advantage of the ability of radiofrequency ablation to, at least temporarily, damage DNA. As such, the work has practical application and follows the line of study combining tumor ablation (and especially, the lower-dose reversible hyperthermia that surrounds a coagulated zone) with mechanism-based agents targeted to potentially reversible processes.