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Updated: Jul 29, 2025

Author Spotlight: Radiotherapy and Clonogenic Assays for Advancing Cancer Research and Personalized Medicine
Published on: April 5, 2024
Epigenetic modifications in radiation-induced non-targeted effects and their clinical significance
Xiangyang He1, Luwei Cai1, Haoyi Tang1
1State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiological Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Background:
Ionizing radiation (IR) plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Besides the targeted effects, the non-targeted effects, which cause damage to non-irradiated cells and genomic instability in normal tissues, also play a role in the side effects of radiotherapy and have been shown to involve both alterations in DNA sequence and regulation of epigenetic modifications.
Scope Of Review:
We summarize the recent findings regarding epigenetic modifications that are involved in radiation-induced non-targeted effects as well as their clinical significance in radiotherapy and radioprotection.
Major Conclusions:
Epigenetic modifications play an important role in both the realization and modulation of radiobiological effects. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying non-targeted effects still need to be clarified.
General Significance:
A better understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms related to radiation-induced non-targeted effects will guide both individualized clinical radiotherapy and individualized precise radioprotection.
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