title: Parameters of linear-quadratic radiation dose-effect relationships: dependence on LET and mechanisms of reproductive cell death.
abstract: An analysis of mammalian cell radiation-dose survival curves, based on the linear-quadratic formalism, is shown to yield insights in the various components of damage that contribute to cell reproductive death. RBE-LET relationships of single-track lethal damage, sublethal damage, potentially lethal damage and DNA double-strand breaks are compared. Single-track lethal damage is derived to be composed of two components: (1) damage that remains unrepaired in an interval between irradiation and assay for proliferative capacity, with a very strong dependence on LET, and (2) potentially lethal damage that is only weakly dependent on LET, similar to sublethal damage and DNA double-strand breaks. The results of this analysis lead to new interpretations of published experimental results and to suggestions for applications in radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Radiobiology, University of Amsterdam, Leidschendam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Barendsen
mesh_terms: D016923:Cell Death / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000528:radiation effects; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D018499:Linear Energy Transfer; D010100:Oxygen; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D010100:Oxygen