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Radiation therapy requires balancing efficacy and toxicity; understanding the biological mechanisms that underlie treatment-related toxicity is critical to optimizing this ratio. Transforming growth factor β1 is a multifunctional cytokine that plays roles in proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, and wound healing. Polymorphisms in the TGFB1 gene at positions –509, +869, and +915 have been implicated in radiation-induced toxicity in patients with breast or lung cancer. Investigators conducted a retrospective analysis to determine whether three possible late consequences of prostate radiation (rectal bleeding, adverse urinary symptoms, and erectile dysfunction) that affect quality of life (QOL) were associated with TGFB1 polymorphisms…