title: Individual radiosensitivity in a breast cancer collective is changed with the patients' age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individual radiosensitivity has a crucial impact on radiotherapy related side effects. Our aim was to study a breast cancer collective for its variation of individual radiosensitivity depending on the patients' age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 129 individuals. Individual radiosensitivity in 67 breast cancer patients and 62 healthy individuals was estimated by 3-color fluorescence in situ hybridization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breast cancer patients were distinctly more radiosensitive compared to healthy controls. A subgroup of 9 rather radiosensitive and 9 rather radio-resistant patients was identified. A subgroup of patients aged between 40 and 50 was distinctly more radiosensitive than younger or older patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the breast cancer collective a distinct resistant and sensitive subgroup is identified, which could be subject for treatment adjustment. Preliminary results indicate that especially in the range of age 40 to 50 patients with an increased radiosensitivity are more frequent and may have an increased risk to suffer from therapy related side effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Auer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fietkau
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology of the University Hospitals and Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Luitpold V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Distel
keywords: age; breast cancer; chromosomal aberrations; fluorescence in situ hybridization; individual radiosensitivity; radiotherapy