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Cancer cells are generally less differentiated and more stem cell-like; they reproduce more than most healthy differentiated cells, and have a diminished ability to repair sub-lethal damage. Single-strand DNA damage is then passed on through cell division; damage to the cancer cells' DNA accumulates, causing them to die or reproduce more slowly.
Radiation hormesis is the conjecture that a low level of ionizing radiation (i.e., near the level of Earth's natural background radiation) helps "immunize" cells against DNA damage from other causes (such as free radicals or larger doses of ionizing radiation), and decreases the risk of cancer. The theory proposes that such low levels activate ...
The effects of radiation on cells has been found to be dependent on the dosage of the radiation, the location of the cell in regards to tissue, and whether the cell is a somatic or germ line cell. Generally, ionizing radiation appears to reduce methylation of DNA in cells. [1] Ionizing radiation has been known to cause damage to cellular ...
The risk for developing radiation-induced cancer at some point in life is greater when exposing a fetus than an adult, both because the cells are more vulnerable when they are growing, and because there is much longer lifespan after the dose to develop cancer.
Amongst the body cells, the most sensitive are spermatogonia and erythroblasts, epidermal stem cells, gastrointestinal stem cells. [3] The least sensitive are nerve cells and muscle fibers. Very sensitive cells are also oocytes and lymphocytes, although they are resting cells and do not meet the criteria described above. The reasons for their ...
Radiation used for cancer treatment is called ionizing radiation because it forms ions in the cells of the tissues it passes through as it dislodges electrons from atoms. This can kill cells or change genes so the cells cannot grow. Other forms of radiation such as radio waves, microwaves, and light waves are called non-ionizing.
There is a threshold dose which causes clinical radiation damage of cells in the body. [5] As the dose increases, the severity of injury increases. [5] This also impairs tissue recovery. [5] The IRCP also describes how cancer develops following radiation exposure. [5] This happens via DNA damage response processes. [5]
Radiation therapy destroys cancer primarily by causing DNA damage that promotes cell death. [4] [5] Tumor cells within a cancer are especially susceptible to damage by radiation as they frequently develop mutations in the DNA repair mechanisms that allow normal, healthy cells to recover from radiation damage. [12]