अमूर्त

Personalized Medicine for Radiation Protection of Patients

Yuan-Hao Lee

The application of radioactive radium to various diseases, including lupus and cancer, was gradually stopped due to the lack of patient safety in the early 20th century. Radiation-induced side effects and protection mechanisms have now been seriously scrutinized for reducing cancer risks while enhancing recipients' physical tolerance. Fast evolved with new technologies, computed tomography (CT) has become not only an important basis for radiotherapeutic planning but also tools for human imaging. One of the debating topics in this field is whether the low-dose radiation (in comparison with doses planned for radiotherapy) poses a threat to patients' health. In this article, I aimed to explain the hormetic effect of low-dose radiation in recognition of cellular adaptive defense as well as the cancer risks of repeated CT scan in association with overborne DNA damage and hazardous bystander effects. With a massive collection of molecular evidence supporting the avoidance of repetitive exposure to low-dose radiation, personalized dose limits for patients with different radiosensitivity and physical tolerance were recommended along with the use of radiation protection equipment for successfully minimizing radiationinduced cancer incidence and other adverse effects.