Biomarkers of Tumour Radiosensitivity and Predicting Benefit from Radiotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiotherapy Research
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Radiotherapy is a cornerstone cancer treatment, yet patient response varies significantly.
• Current radiotherapy planning adapts to tumor anatomy but not individual tumor biology.
• Biomarkers predicting intrinsic radiosensitivity are crucial for personalized dosing and toxicity reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the evidence for biomarkers predicting radiotherapy benefit.
• To identify biomarkers evaluated in clinical settings with over 100 patients.
• To assess the readiness of these biomarkers for routine clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of studies investigating radiotherapy predictive biomarkers.
• Inclusion criteria focused on biomarkers evaluated in >100 patients in a clinical setting.
• Analysis of the quality and extent of evidence for each biomarker.

Main Results:

• Only 10 biomarkers met the inclusion criteria, indicating a scarcity of high-quality studies.
• The radiosensitivity index and MRE11 were the most studied, but lack randomized controlled trial data.
• Despite promise, current evidence is insufficient for routine clinical adoption of these biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• While promising, existing radiotherapy predictive biomarkers require further validation.
• High-quality, randomized controlled trials are essential to establish clinical utility.
• Biomarkers have the potential to personalize radiotherapy but are not yet ready for widespread use.