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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Clinical Imaging of Microwave Mammography
Published on: November 14, 2025
Neoplastic transformation of a human hybrid cell line by alpha particles in relation to mammography X rays
M Frankenberg-Schwager1, S Spieren, E Pralle
1University of Goettingen, Center of Radiology, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Von-Siebold-Strasse 3, D-37075 Goettingen, Germany.
Abstract:
The hybrid cell line CGL1 is the only cell line which allows quantitation of neoplastic transformation in human cells. Hybrid cells were exposed to 3.4 MeV alpha particles or to mammography X rays (29 kV(p)) and both survival and neoplastic cell transformation were assayed. For comparison, previously published data obtained with 200 kV(p) X rays are also included. Alpha particles were significantly more efficient than 29 kV(p) X rays in cell killing. Surprisingly, the efficiency of mammography X rays for the induction of neoplastic cell transformation was close to that observed for alpha particles.
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Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
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