Current Status of Organoprotective Agents and Strategies Against the Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy on the Genital Systems
Chapter from the book: Bilgili, A. (ed.) 2024. Academic Research and Evaluations in Health Sciences II.

Fatma İrem Yardımeden
Mardin Artuklu University
Hüseyin Altundal
Mardin Artuklu University
Uğur Şeker
Mardin Artuklu University

Synopsis

Radiotherapy is one of the most commonly used therapeutic methods in cancer treatment. Despite the increasing survival rates and durations due to the advancements in treatment technologies for cancer, the number of diagnosed cancer cases is on the rise annually, driven by environmental changes such as physiological aging, environmental pollution, increased carcinogen exposure, and disturbances in the ozone layer. While the advancements in medical science have brought promising results in cancer treatment through genetic engineering and molecular regulation methods, every new technology also leads to the emergence of both side effects and losses alongside its benefits. Leaving aside the emerging technological innovations, the most frequently utilized clinical approaches in cancer treatment involve the integration of the subfields of Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology, as well as Oncological Surgical approaches. Radiation Oncology is a medical science aimed at extending survival or completely curing the patient by using ionizing radiation to treat cancer. The primitive therapeutic method employed in Radiation Oncology is radiotherapy, and the ionizing radiation used in this classical treatment method can have adverse effects not only on the targeted tumor organs/tissues but also on healthy organs or tissues. Despite the advancement of radiotherapy technology and the development of more modern targeting techniques, conventional gamma radiotherapy applications are still widely used today. Although scientists have developed some strategies in recent years to alleviate healthy tissue damage and side effects caused by radiotherapy, a definitive protective solution has not yet been found. One of the systems where organ dysfunction and systemic abnormalities due to radiotherapy are most commonly observed is the reproductive system. This book chapter will discuss the current status of radioprotective agents, which are scientifically promising and used today to prevent female and male reproductive system anomalies during radiotherapy applications using gamma rays.

How to cite this book

Yardımeden, F. İ. & Altundal, H. & Şeker, U. (2024). Current Status of Organoprotective Agents and Strategies Against the Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy on the Genital Systems. In: Bilgili, A. (ed.), Academic Research and Evaluations in Health Sciences II. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub566.c2303

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Published

December 22, 2024

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