Failure to correctly repair DSBs can lead to serious consequences, including genomic instability, which is a hallmark of cancer. Defects in DSB repair pathways are associated with various diseases, such as ataxia-telangiectasia (caused by mutations in the ATM gene) and BRCA1/BRCA2 related breast and ovarian cancers. Additionally, chronic exposure to factors that induce DSBs, like ionizing radiation, can increase the risk of developing cancer.
