Coleman C N
Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Radiother Oncol. 1998 Feb;46(2):117-25. doi: 10.1016/s0167-8140(97)00171-0.
We are in a period of rapid advance in understanding the basic mechanisms behind the induction and progression of cancer. The relevance of this new knowledge to the daily clinical practice of radiation oncology may not necessarily be readily apparent. Familiarity with a few of the concepts of molecular biology and biochemistry are necessary to fully appreciate the clinical relevance of the new biology.
To illustrate how the new knowledge affects the practice of radiation oncology, examples of the use of molecular biology are presented for different clinical aspects of clinical oncology, i.e. screening and prevention, prognostic factors, predictive factors, treatment decision, novel therapy and follow-up. A number of the molecular biology techniques are illustrated.
The advances from molecular biology directly impact the role of radiation oncologists in the clinic. While major new therapies are still in development in the laboratory, these will likely have a very significant role in patient care and cancer prevention in the not-too-distant future. Given the central role of radiation oncologists in cancer management, a basic knowledge of molecular biology techniques and their application is essential so that we can be current with our colleagues and patients and as a specialty, participate actively in improving the outcome of patients with or at risk of developing cancer.
我们正处于一个快速深入了解癌症诱发与进展背后基本机制的时期。这些新知识与放射肿瘤学日常临床实践的相关性未必能立刻显现出来。要充分理解新生物学的临床相关性，有必要熟悉一些分子生物学和生物化学概念。
为说明新知识如何影响放射肿瘤学实践，本文针对临床肿瘤学的不同临床方面，即筛查与预防、预后因素、预测因素、治疗决策、新型疗法及随访，列举了分子生物学的应用实例。还阐述了一些分子生物学技术。
分子生物学的进展直接影响放射肿瘤学家在临床中的作用。虽然主要的新疗法仍在实验室研发中，但在不久的将来，这些疗法可能在患者护理和癌症预防中发挥非常重要的作用。鉴于放射肿瘤学家在癌症管理中的核心作用，掌握分子生物学技术及其应用的基础知识至关重要，这样我们才能与同行和患者保持同步，并作为一个专业领域，积极参与改善癌症患者或有患癌风险患者的治疗结果。
