X-rays activate cancer drug

X-rays can activate an anticancer drug at a tumor site, researchers have found. Experiments in mice showed that this simultaneous chemotherapy and radiotherapy was effective in treating tumors, with minimal side effects ( Nat. Chem. 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00711-4) . The method relies on a prodrug, a medicinal compound carrying a chemical masking group that renders it inactive and nontoxic. Once the prodrug reaches a treatment site in the body, removing the mask frees the active drug to go only where it is needed, which helps avoid systemic side effects. The advantage of using X-rays for this purpose is that it can be targeted precisely, says Mark Bradley of the University of Edinburgh, who led the new study. In addition, the X-ray doses that unmask the drug are comparable to those used in cancer radiotherapy, so the treatment acts as combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which tends to be more effective than