Open AccessPromising Gene Therapeutics for Salivary Gland Radiotoxicity
Author(s) -
Renjith P. Nair,
Gulshan SunavalaDossabhoy
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
aims medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2375-1576
pISSN - 2375-155X
DOI - 10.3934/medsci.2016.4.329
Subject(s) - radiation therapy , saliva , salivary gland , head and neck cancer , cancer , cancer research , medicine , dry mouth , function (biology) , head and neck , oncology , biology , surgery , microbiology and biotechnology
More than 0.5 million new cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year, and approximately 75% of them are treated with radiation alone or in combination with other cancer treatments. A majority of patients treated with radiotherapy develop significant oral off-target effects because of the unavoidable irradiation of normal tissues. Salivary glands that lie within treatment fields are often irreparably damaged and a decline in function manifests as dry mouth or xerostomia. Limited ability of the salivary glands to regenerate lost acinar cells makes radiation-induced loss of function a chronic problem that affects the quality of life of the patients well beyond the completion of radiotherapy. The restoration of saliva production after irradiation has been a daunting challenge, and this review provides an overview of promising gene therapeutics that either improve the gland's ability to survive radiation insult, or alternately, restore fluid flow after radiation. The salient features and shortcomings of each approach are discussed.