Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Epidemiological studies have highlighted that leukaemia can be considered as the most prominent malignancy after radiation exposure during childhood. The lifetime risk on radiation-induced leukaemia for a given dose is 3 – 5 times higher for children compared to adults. The high risk at a young age is related to the elevated sensitivity of the red bone marrow where haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are located. HSPCs self-renewal capacity and long-life span increase their susceptibility to DNA damage accumulation, making them a major target of radiation-induced carcinogenesis. Proton beam therapy (PBT) is increasingly used to treat paediatric brain tumours due to its dose sparing properties compared to conventional X-ray based radiotherapy.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uwc/oai:etd.uwc.ac.za:11394/8012 |
Date | January 2020 |
Creators | Engelbrecht, Monique |
Contributors | de Kock, M., Vandevoorde, C. |
Publisher | University of the Western Cape |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Rights | University of the Western Cape |
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