Radiation-induced alterations in the cancer microenvironment (Review)

Radiation therapy is routinely used for the treatment of cancer; however, the development of radiation resistance in some tumor cells can lead to poor efficacy. Cancer cells can alter their metabolic status following exposure to radiation to reduce radiation-induced cytotoxicity, ultimately enabling them to survive radiation injury and adapt to the changed environment. It has been indicated that these metabolic changes in cancer cells affect the cancer microenvironment, and certain metabolite changes within the microenvironment may, in turn, promote cancer cell proliferation. Therefore, combining radiotherapy with targeted metabolic treatments may enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapy. The present review discusses the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells following radiotherapy, and the resulting microenvironmental metabolic characteristics. Furthermore, the present review introduces the novel findings on innate nano-confinements, which may influence the cancer microenvironment by regulating energy metabolism and signaling pathways through new mechanisms.