Radiotherapy without unintended side-effects

Research project to examine new possibilities in the treatment of tumours in the neck and throat area

Irradiation plan of a head-neck tumour Irradiation plan of a head-neck tumour Source: Klinikum der Universität München

In a joint research project, new possibilities in the radiotherapy of tumours in the neck and throat area are to be explored. It is intended to examine how the reaction of the tumour tissue can be influenced during radiotherapy without unintended side-effects to the normal tissue occurring. The research consortium ZiSStrans, of which also the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is part, is headed by Helmholtz Zentrum München. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports the projects with about four million euros altogether in the next five years.

Each year, about 500,000 persons in Germany are diagnosed with cancer. Some tumours can develop pronounced radiation resistance. This restricts the treatment options, given that the normal tissue’s radiosensitivity does not permit higher dosing and that severe side-effects may occur even in the case of conventional radiotherapy.

Thus, the normal tissue’s radiation response is essential for the success of radiotherapy. For an effective and tolerable tumour therapy it is therefore necessary to consider the radiation response in both tumour and normal tissue at the same time. A deeper understanding of the radiation response in the tissues is vital. The objective of the joint research project ZiSStrans is therefore to develop new approaches, in order to therapeutically influence the tumour response, considering at the same time possible damage in the normal tissue. For this purpose, the reaction paths in tumour and normal tissue are to be examined first after the examination in both cell culture and animal models in order to recognise the affected structures inside the cell. Subsequently, the findings are translated to human tissue samples.

The project partners hope to gain new findings especially from the comparison between tumour and normal tissue. Potential molecular target structures can be derived so, which may serve either as marker of radiosensitivity or as therapeutic targets.