Defined as chemotherapeutic agents that potentially increase the sensitization of tumor cells to radiation treatment.
Radiosensitizing chemotherapy agents somewhat increase the acute and late toxicities when added to radiation therapy.
The addition of such agents to radiation superior to radiation alone for the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer.
Fluorouracil is a radiosensitizer most heavily used in the GI tract from the esophagus to the anal canal.
Cis-platinum is used in combination with radiation for control and survival and esophagus cancers, head and neck cancers and cervix cancers.
Cetuximab is a radiosensitizer for head and neck cancers.
Temozolomide is utilized to radiosensitize gliomas.
In Phase II trials bevacizumab and fluorouracil has produced encouraging results with rectal cancer (Willett CG).