Radiobiology of Glioblastoma

Many advances in cancer therapy were achieved in§the second half of the last century, largely due to radiation therapy (RT).§This is also the case for Glioblastoma (GB): in the past forty years,§post-operative RT significantly improved short-term survival, in a comparison§with patients undergoing only surgical resection. §§This text properly considers the most recent and relevant advances§in molecular RB of GB, taking into account the related topics of pathobiology,§and underscores the most promising translational perspectives from the§preclinical to the clinical domain. Section I (From Bedside to Bench) discusses§conditions associated with RT resistance of GB and the consequent RB hints,§technology improvements intended to overcome RT-resistance of GB, mathematical§modeling of RB parameters from clinical studies, the present impact of§molecular prognostic factors in therapy of GB, and RT tolerance of normal§brain. Section II (Preclinical Research and Pathobiology Topics) presents the§traditional and mechanistic/molecular approaches to RB of GB, genetic and§epigenetic studies on GB, issues of cell-death pathways, stem-like cells,§invasiveness, tumor microenvironment, hypoxia, mi-RNA manipulations,§and nanoparticle technology. Section III (Translational Perspectives)§presents RB issues related to molecular profiling and classification of GB as§frames of reference for clinical studies, translational perspectives of gene§therapy, evolving protocols based on pre-clinical data and large§data-bases and ontologic models. §§Radiobiology of§Glioblastoma: Recent Advances and Related Pathobiology will be of§great value to pathologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists as well§as basic researchers and clinical investigators. §§