Molecular targeting of hypoxia in radiotherapy

Hypoxia (low O2) is an essential microenvironmental driver of phenotypic diversity in human solid cancers. Hypoxic cancer cells hijack evolutionarily conserved, O2- sensitive pathways eliciting molecular adaptations that impact responses to radiotherapy, tumor recurrence and patient survival. In this review, we summarize the radiobiological, genetic, epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms orchestrating oncogenic responses to hypoxia. In addition, we outline emerging hypoxia- targeting strategies that hold promise for individualized cancer therapy in the context of radiotherapy and drug delivery.

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