Radiation Therapy Modulates DNA Repair Efficiency in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

There is growing interest in developing individually tailored cancer radiation therapy (RT), wherein patients with high intrinsic radiosensitivity are identified before commencing treatment, to minimize severe adverse reactions. In a previous retrospective study of severely radiosensitive RT patients, we established a functional assay with a high predictive capability. The assay involves ex vivo irradiation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and analysis of DNA repair using the γ-H2AX assay. It is unknown whether RS is a fixed phenomenon or is modulated under different conditions. We now report the impact of RT on the apparent radiosensitivity, as reflected by the assay.