Cell and molecular response to IORT treatment

Ionizing radiations (IRs) generated by intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) treatment activates both pro- and antiproliferative signal pathways producing an imbalance in cell fate decision regulated by several genes and factors involved in cell cycle progression, survival and/or cell death, DNA repair and inflammation. This paper describes the latest advances on cellular and molecular response to IR, highlighting the most relevant research data from cell biology, gene expression profiling and epigenetic studies on different tumor cell types. Understanding the cell molecular strategies to choose between death and survival, after an irradiation-induced damage, opens new avenues for the selection of a proper therapy schedule, to counteract cancer growth and preserve healthy surrounding tissue by radiation effects.