Abnormalities of Human Chromosomes Following Therapeutic Irradiation

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Abstract
Blood leucocytes were cultured from six men before and at intervals after therapeutic irradiation of the abdomen and pelvis. There was no evidence of increased aneuploidy after exposure. By the end of radiotherapy, 32 % of metaphases showed chromosome structural aberrations (control 2 %); these declined to 8 % by the end of the follow-up (17–19 months after treatment). Cells with ‘unstable’ aberrations declined faster than ‘stable’ cells. No clones of cells were observed. Many polyploid metaphases were seen in the cultures after irradiation. There was no evidence that they were derived from circulating tumour cells or other large cells. The irradiated bone marrow was aplastic. Cells from unirradiated bone marrow had normal chromosomes. Thus, there was no evidence for the propagation of small lymphocytes (or other cells) with radiation-induced chromosome ‘markers’ in the bone marrow.