EXPERIENCE OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON RADIATION ONCOLOGY AT R.E. KAVETSKY INSTITUTE OF EXPERIMENTAL PATHOLOGY, ONCOLOGY AND RADIOBIOLOGY, NAS OF UKRAINE

Abstract

This article briefly summarizes our long-term experience of research in the field of experimental and clinical radiation oncology unified by the key word "radiosensitivity". Consistently presented and interpreted here are the main results on biodosimetry of irradiation depending on doses and quality of ionizing radiation and determination of individual radiosensitivity of cancer patients. We justified the use of radiomitigators to reduce the frequency and severity of post-radiation complications in cancer patients, and for radiation protection of the general population. The radioprotective effect of the antioxidant inosine in the somatic cells of cancer patients in the range of low radiation doses was demonstrated. We established that in persons who are hypersensitive to irradiation, the reparative potential is reduced by about 60% compared to ones with normal indices of individual radiosensitivity. Cytogenetic predictors of radiosensitivity of healthy cells adjacent to the irradiated tumor have been determined. Unfortunately, they have not yet become a point of application for individual planning of irradiation courses and assessment of severity of post-radiation complications. The intensive development of selective radioprotectors that would selectively protect healthy tissues in the course of radiation therapy, reducing their radiosensitivity by activating reparation processes, is considered a priority direction of modern radiation oncology.