Modeling the mechanisms of ionizing radiation damage to living tissue structures in radiotherapy technologies
M.Yu. Azarkin†a,
I.N. Zavestovskaya‡a,b,
M.R. Kirakosyan§a,
V.A. Ryabov*a aLebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prosp. 53, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation bNational Research Centre ‘Kurchatov Institute’, pl. Akademika Kurchatova 1, Moscow, 123182, Russian Federation
The widespread development of nuclear physics methods in medicine has brought to the light the challenges of ensuring both therapeutic efficacy and safety of the effects of ionizing radiation on living tissues. This review addresses the current state of modeling the mechanisms of radiation-induced cell death in the context of its application in radiotherapy for oncological diseases. It covers a range of models, from analytical dose—response models to mechanistic Monte Carlo simulations that provide a detailed picture of DNA damage based on the physical and physicochemical processes of ionizing radiation interaction with biological tissues. Particular emphasis is placed on the practical use of computational schemes in treatment planning for photon and hadron beam radiotherapy. Special attention is given to the emerging and promising field of nanoparticle radiosensitization, specifically in the context of modern binary technologies in hadron therapy.
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Keywords: radiotherapy, binary hadron therapy technologies, radiation-induced DNA damage, Monte Carlo modeling, radiotherapy treatment planning systems, nanoparticles, Geant4-DNA PACS:87.19.xj, 87.55.−x, 87.56.−v () DOI: URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2026/11/f/ Citation: Azarkin M Yu, Zavestovskaya I N, Kirakosyan M R, Ryabov V A "Modeling the mechanisms of ionizing radiation damage to living tissue structures in radiotherapy technologies" Phys. Usp.69 (11) (2026)
Received: 28th, July 2026, accepted: 25th, March 2026