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Radiotherapy

A double-edged sword for NSCLC?

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 11, page 66 (2014)Cite this article

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New research has shown that disruption of tumours during radiotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can release viable cancer cells into the peripheral circulation—a possible mechanism underlying the formation of distant metastases.

Most deaths—even after radical treatment—associated with epithelial cancers are due to metastasis from the original tumour. “Radiotherapy can cause severe damage to the structure of a tumour. The rapid breakdown of a tumour could cause a flood of cancerous material, including intact cells, to enter the lymphatics,” explains Michael MacManus, senior author of this study. He continues, “if our hypothesis is correct, it should be possible to detect circulating irradiated tumour cells.”

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References

  1. Martin, O. A. et al. Mobilization of viable tumor cells into the circulation during radiation therapy. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2013.10.033

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Authors
  1. Alessia Errico
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Errico, A. A double-edged sword for NSCLC?. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 11, 66 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2013.247

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