Changes in Biological Effectiveness of a Fast Neutron Beam with Depth in Tissue-Equivalent Material

A neutron beam of modal energy 6 MeV obtained by bombarding a beryllium target with ^{3}{\rm He}$ ions accelerated by the Institute cyclotron has been employed to study the biological effectiveness of fast neutrons with depth in tissue-equivalent material. The end point used was the reproductive int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation research 1971-02, Vol.45 (2), p.235-243
Main Authors: Evans, Richard G., Pinkerton, Arthur, Djordjevic, Bozidar, Mamacos, James, Laughlin, John S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beryllium - radiation effects
Cultured cells
Cyclotrons
Dosimetry
Fast neutrons
HeLa cells
Irradiation
Neutron beams
Neutrons
Radiation dosage
Radiotherapy
Space life sciences
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Summary:A neutron beam of modal energy 6 MeV obtained by bombarding a beryllium target with ^{3}{\rm He}$ ions accelerated by the Institute cyclotron has been employed to study the biological effectiveness of fast neutrons with depth in tissue-equivalent material. The end point used was the reproductive integrity of cultured HeLa cells as judged by colony-forming ability after irradiation. Survival curves obtained after irradiating attached cells at different depths with fast neutrons show a complete lack of shoulder. Split-dose experiments supported this observation in that there is little recovery of radioresistance in the period immediately after the first neutron exposure. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the neutron beam compared to cobalt-60 radiation decreases monotonically from about 3.4 at 2.4 cm depth to about 2.3 at 16 cm depth in the phantom.
ISSN:0033-7587
1938-5404
DOI:10.2307/3573117