Strategies for the evaluation of DNA damage and repair mechanisms in cancer.

DNA lesions and the repair mechanisms that maintain the integrity of genomic DNA are important in preventing carcinogenesis and its progression. Notably, mutations in DNA repair mechanisms are associated with cancer predisposition syndromes. Additionally, these mechanisms maintain the genomic integrity of cancer cells. The majority of therapies established to treat cancer are genotoxic agents that induce DNA damage, promoting cancer cells to undergo apoptotic death. Effective methods currently exist to evaluate the diverse effects of genotoxic agents and the underlying molecular mechanisms that repair DNA lesions. The current study provides an overview of a number of methods that are available for the detection, analysis and quantification of underlying DNA repair mechanisms.