Radiation-induced lymphocyte apoptosis assay: Primetime for routine clinical use?

The impact of curative radiotherapy mainly depends on the total dose delivered to the tumor. However, despite recent technological advances, the dose delivered to surrounding healthy tissues may reduce the therapeutic ratio of many radiation treatments. In the same population treated at one center with the same technique, individual radiosensitivity clearly exists, particularly in terms of late side effects that are, in principle, non-reversible. This article details the history of the radiation-induced lymphocyte apoptosis assay, from preclinical data to multicenter clinical trials. It puts the performance of such assays into perspective to define the optimal clinical situations for its use in daily practice.