title: Assessment of Radiobiological α/β Ratio in Lung Cancer and Fibroblast Cell Lines Using Viability Assays.
abstract: Altered fractionation is an area of intense clinical research in radiation oncology. Estimation of the α/β ratio of individual carcinomas after establishment of primary cell cultures from tumor biopsies may prove of importance in the individualization of radiotherapy schemes.
  
  
  
  Here we proposed a simple method to estimate the α/β ratio in cultured cell lines (two lung carcinomas: A549 and H1299; one lung fibroblast cell line: MRC5), using viability assays.
  
  
  
  For the A549 cell line, the α/β ratio ranged from 14-25 Gy, for H1299 from 11-43 Gy and for the MRC5 fibroblast cell line this was far lower, ranging from 0.69 to 6 Gy. The α/β ratio decreased when extracted from comparisons of lower dose per fraction schemes.
  
  
  
  The α/β ratio of a cell line can be easily defined after simple viability/dose fractionation experiments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy/Oncology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Ilias V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Karagounis
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy/Oncology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Skourti
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy/Oncology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Liousia
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy/Oncology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece targ@her.forthnet.gr.
authors.forename: Michael I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Koukourakis
mesh_terms: D000072283:A549 Cells; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods
keywords: Lung cancer cell lines; lung fibroblasts; α/β ratio