Non-targeted bystander effects induced by ionizing radiation

Radiation-induced bystander effects refer to those responses occurring in cells that were not subject to energy deposition events following ionizing radiation. These bystander cells may have been neighbors of irradiated cells, or physically separated but subject to soluble secreted signals from irradiated cells. Bystander effects have been observed in vitro and in vivo and for various radiation qualities. In tribute to an old friend and colleague, Anthony V. Carrano, who would have said “well what are the critical questions that should be addressed, and so what?”, we review the evidence for non-targeted radiation-induced bystander effects with emphasis on prevailing questions in this rapidly developing research field, and the potential significance of bystander effects in evaluating the detrimental health effects of radiation exposure.