REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1591172
Ferroptosis: A Double-Edged Sword that Enhances Radiation Sensitivity and Facilitates Radiation-Induced Injury in Tumours
Provisionally accepted
Yang Liu1
Jianhao Zhan1
Jisheng Wang1Xiaoping Zeng2Shanshan Liu1
Le Huang1Liyan Niu1
Sun ChengPeng1Zijun Ding3Yan Xing1Zhengyu Zhou3Xiaoying Li3
Qing Li3*Hongmei Wang2*- 1Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
- 2Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China
- 3Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
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Cell death is a crucial mechanism by which radiotherapy eliminates tumour cells. Ferroptosis, characterized by intracellular iron overload and lipid peroxidation, represents a distinct form of programmed cell death. Recent research has demonstrated that numerous malignant tumours exhibit high sensitivity to ferroptosis. Therefore, the induction of ferroptosis in tumour cells has emerged as a promising approach to overcome apoptosis resistance and increase sensitivity to radiotherapy. In this review, we aim to shed light on ferroptosis and its dual roles in both enhancing radiation sensitivity in tumour cells and facilitating radiation-induced injury. Then we discussed the contradiction of ferroptosis between radiation sensitivity and radiation-induced injury, providing valuable insights and directions for the advancement of clinical tumour radiotherapy.
Keywords: Radiotherapy, ferroptosis, Radiotherapy sensitivity, Radiation-induced injury, Pharmacotherapy
Received: 10 Mar 2025; Accepted: 19 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Zhan, Wang, Zeng, Liu, Huang, Niu, ChengPeng, Ding, Xing, Zhou, Li, Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Qing Li, Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
Hongmei Wang, Jinhua Polytechnic, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China
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