Scientists May Be Able to Double Efficacy of Radiation Therapy

Scientists at Georgia Health Sciences University have developed a method for reducing lung cancer cells' ability to repair the lethal double-strand DNA breaks caused by radiation therapy. They believe the method is a great way to reduce the side effects of radiation therapy. It allows for the same amount of cancer cell death with less radiation or for the use the same amount of radiation and potentially curing patients that could not be cured before. The new approach makes cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation and imitates the natural process of endocytosis in which cells engulf proteins and other substances they want to let inside but cannot fit through "normal doorways." Up to this time, studies have been in human lung cancer cells in culture, so the future needs to include animal studies.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111216174446.htm