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Thariat J, Little MP, Zablotska LB, Samson P, O’Banion MK, Leuraud K, Bergom C, Girault G, Azimzadeh O, Bouffler S, Hamada N. Radiotherapy for non-cancer diseases: benefits and long-term risks. Int J Radiat Biol 2024; 100:505-526. [PMID: 38180039 PMCID: PMC11039429 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2023.2295966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The discovery of X-rays was followed by a variety of attempts to treat infectious diseases and various other non-cancer diseases with ionizing radiation, in addition to cancer. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in the use of such radiotherapy for non-cancer diseases. Non-cancer diseases for which use of radiotherapy has currently been proposed include refractory ventricular tachycardia, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's disease and dementia), and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, all with ongoing clinical studies that deliver radiation doses of 0.5-25 Gy in a single fraction or in multiple daily fractions. In addition to such non-cancer effects, historical indications predominantly used in some countries (e.g. Germany) include osteoarthritis and degenerative diseases of the bones and joints. This narrative review gives an overview of the biological rationale and ongoing preclinical and clinical studies for radiotherapy proposed for various non-cancer diseases, discusses the plausibility of the proposed biological rationale, and considers the long-term radiation risks of cancer and non-cancer diseases. CONCLUSIONS A growing body of evidence has suggested that radiation represents a double-edged sword, not only for cancer, but also for non-cancer diseases. At present, clinical evidence has shown some beneficial effects of radiotherapy for ventricular tachycardia, but there is little or no such evidence of radiotherapy for other newly proposed non-cancer diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, COVID-19 pneumonia). Patients with ventricular tachycardia and COVID-19 pneumonia have thus far been treated with radiotherapy when they are an urgent life threat with no efficient alternative treatment, but some survivors may encounter a paradoxical situation where patients were rescued by radiotherapy but then get harmed by radiotherapy. Further studies are needed to justify the clinical use of radiotherapy for non-cancer diseases, and optimize dose to diseased tissue while minimizing dose to healthy tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Thariat
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Centre François Baclesse, Caen, France
- Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire IN2P3, ENSICAEN/CNRS UMR 6534, Normandie Université, Caen, France
| | - Mark P. Little
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lydia B. Zablotska
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Pamela Samson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - M. Kerry O’Banion
- Department of Neuroscience, Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Klervi Leuraud
- Research Department on Biological and Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation (SESANE), Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Carmen Bergom
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Cardio-Oncology Center of Excellence, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Gilles Girault
- Comprehensive Cancer Centre François Baclesse, Medical Library, Caen, France
| | - Omid Azimzadeh
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Section Radiation Biology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Simon Bouffler
- Radiation Protection Sciences Division, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Chilton, Didcot, UK
| | - Nobuyuki Hamada
- Biology and Environmental Chemistry Division, Sustainable System Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Abiko, Chiba, Japan
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Hamada N. Noncancer Effects of Ionizing Radiation Exposure on the Eye, the Circulatory System and beyond: Developments made since the 2011 ICRP Statement on Tissue Reactions. Radiat Res 2023; 200:188-216. [PMID: 37410098 DOI: 10.1667/rade-23-00030.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
For radiation protection purposes, noncancer effects with a threshold-type dose-response relationship have been classified as tissue reactions (formerly called nonstochastic or deterministic effects), and equivalent dose limits aim to prevent occurrence of such tissue reactions. Accumulating evidence demonstrates increased risks for several late occurring noncancer effects at doses and dose rates much lower than previously considered. In 2011, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) issued a statement on tissue reactions to recommend a threshold of 0.5 Gy to the lens of the eye for cataracts and to the heart and brain for diseases of the circulatory system (DCS), independent of dose rate. Literature published thereafter continues to provide updated knowledge. Increased risks for cataracts below 0.5 Gy have been reported in several cohorts (e.g., including in those receiving protracted or chronic exposures). A dose threshold for cataracts is less evident with longer follow-up, with limited evidence available for risk of cataract removal surgery. There is emerging evidence for risk of normal-tension glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, but the long-held tenet that the lens represents among the most radiosensitive tissues in the eye and in the body seems to remain unchanged. For DCS, increased risks have been reported in various cohorts, but the existence or otherwise of a dose threshold is unclear. The level of risk is less uncertain at lower dose and lower dose rate, with the possibility that risk per unit dose is greater at lower doses and dose rates. Target organs and tissues for DCS are also unknown, but may include heart, large blood vessels and kidneys. Identification of potential factors (e.g., sex, age, lifestyle factors, coexposures, comorbidities, genetics and epigenetics) that may modify radiation risk of cataracts and DCS would be important. Other noncancer effects on the radar include neurological effects (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and dementia) of which elevated risk has increasingly been reported. These late occurring noncancer effects tend to deviate from the definition of tissue reactions, necessitating more scientific developments to reconsider the radiation effect classification system and risk management. This paper gives an overview of historical developments made in ICRP prior to the 2011 statement and an update on relevant developments made since the 2011 ICRP statement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Hamada
- Biology and Environmental Chemistry Division, Sustainable System Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Chiba, Japan
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Kruger E, Toraih EA, Hussein MH, Shehata SA, Waheed A, Fawzy MS, Kandil E. Thyroid Carcinoma: A Review for 25 Years of Environmental Risk Factors Studies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14246172. [PMID: 36551665 PMCID: PMC9777404 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental factors are established contributors to thyroid carcinomas. Due to their known ability to cause cancer, exposure to several organic and inorganic chemical toxicants and radiation from nuclear weapons, fallout, or medical radiation poses a threat to global public health. Halogenated substances like organochlorines and pesticides can interfere with thyroid function. Like phthalates and bisphenolates, polychlorinated biphenyls and their metabolites, along with polybrominated diethyl ethers, impact thyroid hormones biosynthesis, transport, binding to target organs, and impair thyroid function. A deeper understanding of environmental exposure is crucial for managing and preventing thyroid cancer. This review aims to investigate the relationship between environmental factors and the development of thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kruger
- School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Eman A. Toraih
- Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Medical Genetics Unit, Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
- Correspondence: (E.A.T.); (M.S.F.)
| | - Mohammad H. Hussein
- Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Shaimaa A. Shehata
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Amani Waheed
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Manal S. Fawzy
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University, Arar 1321, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (E.A.T.); (M.S.F.)
| | - Emad Kandil
- Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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