The reach of personalized medicine in radiation oncology has expanded greatly over the past few decades as technical precision has improved the delivery of radiation to each patient's unique anatomy. Yet, the consideration of biological heterogeneity between patients has largely not been translated to clinical care. There are innumerable promising advancements in the discovery and validation of biomarkers, which could be used to alter radiation therapy directly or indirectly. Directly, biomarker-informed care may alter treatment dose or identify patients who would benefit most from radiation therapy and who could safely avoid more aggressive care. Indirectly, a variety of biomarkers could assist with choosing the best radiosensitizing chemotherapies. The translation of these advancements into clinical practice will bring radiation oncology even further into the era of precision medicine, treating patients according to their unique anatomical and biological differences.
Keywords: Biomarkers; Genomics; Precision medicine; Radiotherapy response prediction; Transcriptomics.
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