Measurement of γ-H2AX foci, miRNA-101, and gene expression as a means to quantify radiation-absorbed dose in cancer patients who had undergone radiotherapy

Radiological accidents and nuclear terrorism pose an increased threat to members of the public who, following such an event, would need to be assessed for medical care by fast triage. Assay methods such as chromosome aberrations (CA), cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques have been well established for dose estimation and their potential for handling more samples has also been proved with automation. However, culturing of lymphocytes is an inevitable step, which limits the potential of these markers for triage. In vitro analysis of gamma-H2AX (γ-H2AX), gene and microRNA (miRNA) markers do not require culturing of lymphocytes, and as such have been suggested as attractive tools for triage. Despite studies reporting in vitro dose–response curves, limited evidence is available evaluating the suitability of these assays in real situations. In this study, we have measured the absorbed dose using γ-H2AX, gene ( GADD45A, FDXR , and CDKN1A ) and miRNA-101 expression in blood samples of cancer patients ( n = 20) who had undergone partial-body radiotherapy and compared with the derived equivalent whole-body doses (EWBD). The obtained results from all patients showed a significant ( p