Radiation therapy is the medical use of ionizing radiation to treat cancer. Traditional radiotherapy involves the use of focused external radiation beams that are aimed from several angles to intersect a tumor, providing a more concentrated dose of radiation at that site of disease than in the surrounding healthy tissue. Traditional radiation therapy is often used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. It is estimated that 50-60% of cancer patients undergo some form of radiation therapy during the course of their treatment. While effective for treating the primary tumor or local spread, external beam radiation may result in damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, and importantly is not appropriate when the cancer has metastasized to distant areas of the body.

Cancer cells multiply faster than normal cells in the body. Radiation is more harmful to rapidly growing cells, and therefore damages cancer cells more than normal cells. Specifically, radiation therapy damages the DNA of cancer cells. Doing so prevents the cancer cells from growing and dividing. Unfortunately, certain healthy cells can also be killed by this process. The death of healthy cells can lead to side effects. (1)

The side effects of radiation therapy depend on the treatment dose and frequency, and the part of the body that is treated. The most common side effects are tiredness, skin reactions (such as a rash or redness, permanent pigmentation, and scarring) in the treated area, and loss of appetite. Radiation therapy can cause inflammation of tissues and organs in and around the body site radiated. This can cause symptoms that depend on what organs are affected and to what degree. For example, radiation can inflame skin to cause a burn or permanent pigmentation. It can also irritate the colon and cause diarrhea. Radiation therapy can also cause a decrease in the number of white blood cells that help protect the body against infection. Although the side effects of radiation therapy can be unpleasant, they can usually be treated or controlled, and, in most cases, they are not permanent.

Governments around the globe have increasingly become concerned about threats of radiation exposure resulting from nuclear power plant accidents, lost radiation sources (often called “sealed sources”, usually small metal containers in which a small amount of a radioactive material is sealed), transportation accidents, terrorist acts, and accidents involving satellites containing radioactive materials. (2) Emergency preparedness programs have continued to be developed and expanded in the United States under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) created in 1970.

Concerns are not unfounded. The first major incident in the USA occurred in 1979 during the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant accident in Pennsylvania. The USA established the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to increase emergency planning and preparedness activities. Public and environmental health continues to be protected by measuring and monitoring the radiation levels in the surrounding environment.

The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on April 26, 1986 caused an increase in government preparedness for international incidents affecting the United States. The contamination hit hardest in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, although significant radiation also affected Sweden, Finland and Austria. Over one million people could have been affected in surrounding countries. The disastrous results from that event, considered to be the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, led to wide-ranging and long-lasting effects from radiation, including neurological syndromes and psychological stress. Acute radiation induced hypertension, memory decline, vestibular ataxia, and destructive autoimmune processes in glial and ganglionic brain cells, as well as in myelin. (3) A comprehensive conference on Chernobyl was held in Kiev, Ukraine in 1995. The results were compiled and published in 1995 with sponsorship by the World Health Organization and UNESCO Chernobyl Program. (4) The effects of Chernobyl radiation continue to be studied today through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Monosodium Luminol GVT® is a small molecule with radio-protective capacity for the treatment of radiation spills or as countermeasures against radiation terrorism. It can be easily stored, transported, is financially feasible to manufacture, and can be administered by various delivery methods. GVT® is a phthalazinedione compound and novel cytoprotective agent. Multiple mechanisms of action contained in this molecule restore redox balance, regulate proteostasis, and up-regulate necessary cell survival factors. Here is how and why it works:

GVT®:

1. is a proteostasis regulator
2. is proven non-toxic at established therapeutic levels
3. enters the cell and acts in the cytoplasm as well as the cell nucleus
4. is a redox buffering agent that modulates intracellular redox status
5. has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
6. scavenges free radicals (ROS and RNS)
7. modulates the transcription factor Nrf2
8. is an iron chelator
9. passes the blood-brain barrier

1. Radiation Therapy
2. EPA, Radiation Protextion, About Emergency Prepardedness and Response
3. Yu A, Zozulya, AR Vinnitsky (Ukraine), “Effects of Low Ionizing Radiation Doses on the Brain: Structural Manifestations and Diagnosis”
4. “International Conference on the Mental Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster: Current Study and Future Prospects – May 24-28, 1995 Kiev, Ukraine - Mental Health Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster: Current State and Future Prospects”:
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