Influence of Radiation-induced Chromosomal Aberrations on the Viability of Tumour and Normal Mammalian Cells Method of Biological Dosimetry

Summary

The hypothesis that tumour cells with radiation-induced asymmetrical exchanges and deletions are non-viable has been checked and confirmed in two series of experiments on the hyperdiploid Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells. There is a conservation of chromosomal injury in rat-liver cells during interkinesis prior to the first mitosis after x-irradiation. The possibility of using the percentage of cells with chromosomal aberrations as a criterion for determination of the radiotherapeutic dose is discussed. Chromosomal injuries seem not to be a cause of the interphase death of mouse intestinal crypt cells, but may be a cause of cellular destruction after division. A method for the evaluation of radiation dose in mammals is suggested. In principle, it allows the determination of irradiated parts of the body.