Breakthrough in Cancer Radiotherapy: How DNA Repair Determines Tumor Cell Death

New research reveals how DNA repair mechanisms dictate immune response activation, paving the way for improved cancer treatments.

Scientists have discovered that the way cancer cells die after radiotherapy depends on specific DNA repair pathways, solving a decades-long mystery in oncology.
When cancer cells repair DNA damage using homologous recombination, they die during cell division without triggering an immune response, which limits treatment effectiveness.
Alternative DNA repair methods cause cancer cells to release byproducts resembling viral or bacterial infections, activating the immune system to attack remaining cancer cells.
Blocking homologous recombination in cancer cells could enhance radiotherapy outcomes by promoting immune system activation and potentially reducing required radiation doses.
The findings, made possible by advanced live cell microscopy, offer opportunities to combine radiotherapy with immunotherapy for more effective cancer treatment strategies.