Abstract
Radiosensitizing drugs can only be clinically useful if they give a greater increase in sensitivity to radiation in the tumour than in normal tissues. This differential may be based on differences in the proliferation characteristics or on other known differences between normal and tumour cells, such as their oxygen status. The degree of oxygenation profoundly influences the radiosensitivity of all cells: hypoxic cells occur in most animal tumours and can be more effectively killed if their hypoxic protection is overcome e.g. with hyperbaric oxygen, high LET radiation or with electron affinic chemical radiosensitizers. This latter group of drugs includes nitroimidazoles which have recently been shown to mimic oxygen in its sensitizing ability. The drugs can diffuse to hypoxic tumour cells because, unlike oxygen, they are not rapidly metabolised by respiring cells.
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© 1976 Plenum Press, New York
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Adams, G.E., Denekamp, J., Fowler, J.E. (1976). Biological Basis of Radiosensitization by Hypoxic-Cell Radiosensitizers. In: Hellmann, K., Connors, T.A. (eds) Chemotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4349-3_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-4349-3_18
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