Establishment of a Predictive Index for Treatment Outcomes and Adverse Events Based on DNA Repair Capacity for Personalized Medicine for Rectal Cancer

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K15551
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Imano Nobuki 広島大学, 医系科学研究科(医), 助教 (40815320)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 放射線治療 / 染色体異常 / DNA損傷 / γH2AX / PNA-FISH / 直腸癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiosensitivity in patients receiving preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer and to develop an index to predict treatment outcomes and adverse events. We prospectively enrolled 28 patients with rectal cancer and evaluated the association between radiosensitivity and treatment outcomes and adverse events.　Three of the 28 patients achieved pathologic complete response, and the γH2AX focus counts in peripheral blood lymphocytes tended to be high in these three patients after 45 Gy irradiation. In terms of adverse events, there was a significant correlation between the number of chromosome aberrations in the peripheral blood lymphocytes and the severity of adverse events. A new index for predicting treatment outcomes and adverse events based on radiosensitivity was established.

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Free Research Field

放射線治療

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は化学放射線療法における急性期有害事象を個人の放射線感受性から予測する研究である。放射線感受性から放射線治療における有害事象を予測する試みは以前より行われてきたが、放射線感受性を測定するための解析が複雑で日常臨床に応用されていない。本研究では照射期間中の患者血液を採取することで、末梢血リンパ球中の染色体異常から放射線感受性の指標として、血液データから簡便に放射線感受性を測定する手法が開発した。そのため従来の報告と比較してより簡便に放射線感受性を予測することが可能となり、今後実臨床にも応用できる可能性があると考える。