Genomic Correlates with Radiation Injury

A common form of treatment for pediatric brain cancers is radiation therapy. Like all forms of clinical cancer intervention, there are risks, such as radiation injury. Tissues all over the body can be damaged by doses of ionizing radiation, and this is particularly true for the brain. Large doses of ionizing radiation can cause acute illness. In this study, researchers seek to determine whether germline genomic alterations correlate with patients who have experienced radiation injury. Germline genomic alterations include changes to genes in cells that are passed down in the gametes, sperm and egg. Through access to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas researchers will catalog germline genomic alterations across brain cancer types in search of correlations to accounts of radiation injury. This information will be important in guiding decisions of medical professionals and reducing treatment risks to patients.