Cancer treatment often involves a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Although effective, chemotherapy traditionally suffers from a lack of specificity, leading to important side effects that can impact patients’ quality of life. Now, writing in Advanced Materials, Miles A. Miller and colleagues present a platform that is activated by radiation to specifically release chemotherapeutic drugs right at the site of the tumour.

By contrast, X-ray radiation is capable of deep tissue penetration and is routinely administered with good spatial precision to accurately target tumours while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. As a result, platforms responsive to X-ray radiation are expected to enhance the precision of therapy delivery, focusing treatment more effectively on cancerous cells to achieve greater specificity and efficacy. Additionally, these platforms can be easily incorporated into standard therapeutic protocols, facilitating their seamless integration with conventional treatment modalities. “Radiation is already used in roughly half of patients undergoing cancer treatment,” notes Miller. Radiation therapy thus allows to direct chemotherapy specifically to the tumour, minimizing the exposure of healthy tissues to its toxic side effects.