RADIOBIOLOGICAL INTERCOMPARISONS OF FAST-NEUTRON BEAMS USED FOR THERAPY IN JAPAN AND THE UNITED-STATES

A variety of portable biological systems have been used to intercompare the neutron beams used for radiotherapy in Japan and in the United States. The two neutron centers in Japan have been compared with the four in the United States; all of the machines differ in energy and consequently the biological effectiveness varies from one to another. The biological systems used included survival in three lines of mammalian cells cultured in vitro, the response of mouse skin, the survival of crypt cells in the mouse jejunum, and the loss of weight or DNA in the mouse testes. Based on the biological data, estimates have been made of the relative potency of the various neutron beams that will be invaluable when the time comes to evaluate clinical results. © 1979.