BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MEDICAL RADIATION ON HUMAN CELLS: A FOCUS ON LYMPHOCYTE RESPONSES

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of medical radiation on human cells, namely lymphocytes. We analyzed the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in cells exposed to X-ray photon irradiation at 6 and 10 MV, with dose rates ranging from 5.50 to 23.08 Gy/min and absorbed doses ranging from 0.5 to 8 Gy. For the sake of comparison, a 60Co curve was used. Standard cytogenetic procedures were used to produce metaphases from the cell cultures, and chromosomal analysis was carried out. Based on our findings, bio dosimetry may be carried out using doses and energy that are greater than those of the reference dose presently in use. We found that the aberration frequencies varied significantly across the various irradiation methods. The radiobiological impact is stronger in FFF mode compared to FF mode. A linear quadratic dose response calibration curve was built to determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE). The average RBE values for 60Co γ irradiation were 1.28, for 6 FFF they were 1.11, and for 10 FFF they ranged from 0.79 to 0.92, all caused by the reference radiation, which is 6MV (5.50 Gy/min). These findings might be even more significant in a therapeutic context due to the significant variations across radiation modalities in hypofractionation situations. In the event of a patient's unintentional overdose, it is crucial to quantify the overdose using the proper calibration curves for bio dosimetry.