ABSTRACT
The prescribed radiation dose depends on both the cancer type and the radiation sensitivity of the surrounding normal tissue. Normal tissue radiation dose constraints are often set to ensure that less than five percent of patients will experience a serious radiation-induced toxicity within five years of completing treatment (Emami et al. 1991; West & Barnett 2011). Unfortunately, one size does not necessarily fit all when describing an individual’s sensitivity to radiation. To protect the minority who may develop radiation-induced toxicity, the majority may not receive the radiation dose necessary for tumor control. Because cancer survivorship continues to dramatically increase (Travis et al. 2012), with approximately half of all cancer patients receiving radiation therapy (Delaney et al. 2005), it is prudent to begin to develop markers to predict for radiation response and radiation toxicity. Radiogenomics investigates how genetic variation influences radiation response in cells, tissues, and individuals.
