Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Many cancer therapeutics, including radiation therapy, damage DNA eliciting the DNA damage response (DDR). Clinical assays that characterise the DDR could be used to personalise cancer treatment by indicating the extent of damage to tumour and normal tissues and the nature of the cellular response to that damage. The phosphorylated histone γH2AX is generated early in the response to DNA double-strand breaks, the most deleterious form of DNA damage. Translational researchers are developing tissue sampling and assay strategies to apply the measurement of γH2AX to a range of clinical questions, including that of tumour response. The presence of γH2AX is also associated with other cell states including replication stress, hypoxia and apoptosis, which could influence the relationship between γH2AX and clinical endpoints. This review aims to assess the potential of γH2AX as a practical and clinically useful biomarker of tumour and normal tissue responses to therapy.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Curr Mol Med

Publication Date

12/2013

Volume

13

Pages

1591 - 1602

Keywords

Antineoplastic Agents, Biomarkers, Tumor, DNA Damage, Diagnostic Imaging, Drug Monitoring, Histones, Humans, Neoplasms