Out-of-field effects: lessons learned from partial body exposure

Area of Science:

• Radiation biology
• Radiobiology
• Medical physics

Background:

• Most medical and occupational radiation exposures involve partial body irradiation with inhomogeneous doses.
• Emerging evidence suggests that radiation effects extend beyond the directly irradiated area, impacting systemic health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss recent advancements in understanding partial body radiation exposure and its systemic effects.
• To explore clinical, epidemiological, dosimetric, and mechanistic aspects of out-of-field effects.

Main Methods:

• The study session focused on discussions and presentations covering various facets of partial body exposure.
• Key areas included immune cell dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, and brain effects.

Main Results:

• Out-of-field effects are recognized as significant components of the overall radiation response.
• These effects are important for understanding radiation-induced pathologies and identifying high-risk organs.

Conclusions:

• A deeper mechanistic understanding of out-of-field effects and improved modeling are priorities for future research.
• This research is vital for refining risk models and personalizing health risk assessments for non-cancer and cancer effects after partial body irradiation.