Radiation sensitization in cancer therapy

Abstract

One possible benefit of stimulated oxygen consumption rendering aerobic cancer cells hypoxic, and the reductive sensitizer drug metabolism which has been found to be selective for hypoxic tissue, is that the resulting reductive metabolites are selectively toxic and may be useful in chemotherapy to kill sensitive hypoxic tumor cells. Radiation chemical, biochemical and pharmacological studies are continuing to provide additional information on drug delivery, metabolism and cytotoxicity, in order to select and evaluate clinically acceptable sensitizer drugs. Radiation chemical studies over the past decade have led to the development and selection of the nitroimidazoles, metronidazole and misonidazole for clinical evaluation in terms of improved cancer treatments. The results of ongoing clinical trials will, within the next few years, indicate how successful this application of basic radiation chemical research has been. 39 references are included. (JMT)