Radiation Damage to Chromosomes

The foregoing, I think, does give some idea of the types of things that can be done and have been done in experiments on chromosome aberrations. The studies I discussed represent basic radiobiological research on chromosomes. I would like to point out, however, that the information obtained from such basic studies is being used in a practical way. For instance, in the field of cancer radiotherapy knowledge of changes in chromosome sensitivity during the cell cycle is being exploited to devise rational dose fractionation procedures for treatments. Furthermore, attempts are now being made to either oxygenate tumor cells (which are ordinarily anoxic) or to use more densely ionizing radiations. The reason for this is that either method will obviate the difference in radiosensitivity between anoxic tumor cells, which we want to kill, and oxygenated normal cells, which we want to spare. As a basic scientist, I find it particularly gratifying to see that, ever more frequently, concepts