Radiosensitivity of normal fibroblasts from breast cancer patients assessed by the micronucleus and colony assays.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether radiation-induced micronucleus formation as expressed by the cytochalasin-blocked Mn-assay correlates with cellular radiosensitivity measured by a colony assay in primary fibroblast cultures from cancer patients.


METHODS
Studies were made on skin fibroblasts from 36 breast cancer patients. The micronucleus assay was performed using treatment with cytochalasin-B to create binucleate cells. Response was scored in terms of the percentage of binucleate cells with micronuclei, also as the number of micronuclei per binucleate cell. The data were related to previously published results of cell survival measurements on these cell lines.


RESULTS
Neither endpoint for micronucleus formation showed a correlation with radiosensitivity by the colony assay. The fraction of fibroblasts that reach mitosis without micronuclei also failed to correlate with cell survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Among these primary fibroblast cell lines radiation-induced micronucleus formation was not associated with radiosensitivity as measured by a colony assay.
Danish Cancer Society, Department of Experimental Clinical Oncology, Aarhus Kommunehospital.
J
J
Johansen
C
C
Streffer
C
C
Fuhrmann
S M
SM
Bentzen
B
B
Stausbøl-Grøn
M
M
Overgaard
J
J
Overgaard
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D008938:Mitosis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000528:radiation effects
D003571:Cytochalasin B