Research Masterclass in Radiotherapy Physics 2017

Microbeam therapy (MRT) and the bystander effect

• MRT has been shown to effectively treat tumours in vivo but has a sparing effect on normal tissues • The mechanism underpinning MRT is not yet understood; bystander signaling has been implicated • Not all cells are able to induce bystander effect though rapidly dividing cells, i.e. tumour cells, may be more susceptible to bystander signals • Conflicting reports as to why some cells produce bystander signals and others don’t; p53 status has been implicated