DNA Damage Response Network and Intracellular Redox Status in the Clinical Outcome of Lung Cancer Patients

Simple Summary: DNA damage response (DDR) is a multi-factor network that is responsible for the removal of DNA lesions, thus enabling cells to function normally. An imbalance between the generation of reactive oxygen species and their removal by defense mechanisms is known as oxidative stress. Previous studies demonstrated that deregulation of the DDR network and redox imbalance are implicated in the onset and progression of several diseases, including cancer, as well as in the outcome of chemotherapy. In this study, we found that DDR-associated parameters and the intracellular redox status display significant differences among lung cancer patients at baseline and correlate with the clinical responses to subsequent platinum-based therapy. The exploitation of these results might lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets, the design of effective and sensitive biomarkers and the development of new therapeutic regimens for the treatment of this devastating malignancy.