EFFECTS OF RADIATION ON THE CELL-PROLIFERATION KINETICS OF EPITHELIALTISSUES - THERAPEUTIC IMPLICATIONS

The cell kinetic responses of the epithelia of the skin, oral mucosa a nd intestine to photon irradiation are reviewed. One of the fundamenta l assumptions made in the development of mathematical models, used to predict the acute response of normal tissues to changes in fractionati on protocols, is ''equal effect per fraction'' There is now accumulati ng cell kinetic data to indicate that this assumption is unlikely to b e valid. The implications of these findings are discussed.