Georgia State scientists are spearheading new studies in hopes of alleviating the harmful side effects of radiation treatment for cancer patients.
A coalition of Georgia State scientists has been examining the influence of radiation treatment on cancer cells, which, researchers say, could potentially lead to the creation of a treatment less harsh than radiation therapy.
The study examines how radiation treatment can be paired with immunotherapy to effectively treat patients. Immunotherapy works to stimulate the body’s natural ability to destroy cancerous cells.
Dr. Charlie Benson, main author of the study, published the findings in the International Journal of Oncology on Oct. 7, 2015 with the assistance of Dr. Susanna Greer, Georgia State professor.
Their findings suggest that radiation can alter gene expression, exposing the proteins that tumorous cells are composed of and making it easier for immune cells to destroy them.
“We showed that radiation can change the expression of genes not typically considered a part of the known DNA damage response pathways,” Benson said.
The lab partners looked at the main enzymes that radiation alters, and its potential to change the way that people approach radiation therapy and cancer treatment.
This study has showed that pairing immunotherapy with radiation, in order to create a treatment, is less aggressive than traditional methods used to cure cancer.
“You are using radiation in a brand new way, which is basically to make the cancer cells a better target for the immune cells that you are raising with your immunotherapy,” Dr. Benson explained.
The study written about the project in the International Journal of Oncology specifically discussed the effects of this treatment on colorectal cancer. However, Dr. Benson stated that it has also proven to help treat breast and prostate cancer.
Josh Lott, a neuroscience major at Georgia State, is impressed by the research that is currently being conducted. “I think it’s great that one of our GSU labs effectively finding ways to combat cancer through radiation treatment,” he said.
Dr. Benson noted that they are specifically looking at other types of genes that can be altered by radiation treatment and trigger the immune cells, and examining the ideal amount of radiation that should be used to change gene expression.
“We will continue our work to better understand the basic immunology principles that could impact the design of immune therapies in combination with standard therapies for the treatment of cancer,” she said.
