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The Oncologist, Vol. 12, No. 6, 690-712, June 2007; doi:10.1634/theoncologist.12-6-690
© 2007 AlphaMed Press

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 Review: Implications of In Vitro Research on the Effect of Radiotherapy and...
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Radiation Oncology

Review: Implications of In Vitro Research on the Effect of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy Under Hypoxic Conditions

An Wouters, Bea Pauwels, Filip Lardon, Jan B. Vermorken

Laboratory of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium

Key Words. Hypoxia • Cell culture • Irradiation • Chemotherapy • Resistance

Correspondence: An Wouters, M.Sc., Laboratory of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium. Telephone: 32-3-820-25-76; Fax: 32-3-820-22-48; email: An.Wouters{at}ua.ac.be

As it is now well established that human solid tumors frequently contain a substantial fraction of cells that are hypoxic, more and more in vitro research is focusing on the impact of hypoxia on the outcome of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Indeed, the efficacy of irradiation and many cytotoxic drugs relies on an adequate oxygen supply. Consequently, hypoxic regions in solid tumors often contain viable cells that are intrinsically more resistant to treatment with radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Moreover, efforts have been made to exploit hypoxia as a potential difference between malignant and normal tissues.

Nowadays, a body of evidence indicates that oxygen deficiency clearly influences some major intracellular pathways such as those involved in cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, cell adhesion, and others. Obviously, when investigating the effects of radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both combined under hypoxic conditions, it is essential to consider the influences of hypoxia itself on the cell.

In this review, we first focus on the effects of hypoxia per se on some critical biological pathways. Next, we sketch an overview of preclinical and clinical research on radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and chemoradiation under hypoxic conditions.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.






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