Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40620349›Full record

ReviewAdvances in radiation oncology2025

Association of Circulating Inflammatory Biomarker Levels and Toxicity in Patients Undergoing Pelvic Radiation for Cancer: A Critical Review.

Per Fessé, Per-Arne Svensson, Björn Zackrisson, Alexander Valdman, Per Fransson, Kjell Grankvist, Ingrid Kristensen, Ulrica Langegård, Emma Ohlsson-Nevo, Katarina Sjövall and 2 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Advances in radiation oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Per FesséInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Per-Arne SvenssonInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Björn ZackrissonDepartment of Radiation Sciences - Oncology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Alexander ValdmanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Per FranssonDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Kjell GrankvistDepartment of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Ingrid KristensenRadiation Physics, Department of Haematology, Oncology and Radiation Physics, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Ulrica LangegårdInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Emma Ohlsson-NevoUniversity Health Care Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Katarina SjövallFaculty of Health Sciences, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden.
Linda ÅkefloInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Karin AhlbergInstitute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) causes tissue damage and inflammation. Because cytokines play a key role in such processes, their expression levels can be an indicator of cell and tissue toxicity. This critical review aims to explore whether levels of circulating inflammatory biomarkers in peripheral blood are associated with proton- or photon-based therapy in the pelvic area and how these levels vary over time. Further, we investigated whether these levels can be linked to radiation dose, the incidence of toxicity, and changes in toxicity over time. Methods and Materials: A literature search was conducted in PubMed to find studies involving comparative cohorts of pelvic irradiated patients with cancer. Studies reporting on the association of markers in peripheral blood with inflammatory processes and/or toxicity were included. Results: We found evidence of associations between changes in inflammatory cytokine levels and the total cumulative dose-volume together with RT-induced toxicity in patients with cancer treated with pelvic RT. Common patient-reported outcomes demonstrate an association between radiation toxicity (eg, genitourinary toxicity) and circulating inflammatory biomarker levels. Conclusions: This review highlights that the total cumulative dose and irradiated tissue volume are the primary drivers of RT-induced biomarker expression, influencing both early and late toxicity outcomes. The diversity in RT techniques, total dose, and number of treatment sessions across studies likely contributes to the variation in observed results. Circulating cytokine and biomarker levels in the blood can provide valuable monitoring and predictive insights for patients undergoing proton- or photon-based RT of the pelvis. Biomarker analysis in the context of RT offers clinical value by enabling personalized treatment by helping predict which patients are at higher risk for certain toxicities, guiding clinicians in tailoring treatment, optimizing supportive care, and adjusting RT plans. This approach could improve patient outcomes and quality of life by reducing long-term complications from radiation exposure.

Identifiers

PMID40620349
PMCPMC12228117

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.