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Relative biological effectiveness in canine osteosarcoma cells irradiated with accelerated charged particles
Junko Maeda1, Ian M Cartwright1, Jeremy S Haskins1
1Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Oncology Letters
|July 23, 2016
Summary
Heavy ions, such as carbon and iron ions, show greater effectiveness in eliminating radioresistant canine osteosarcoma cells compared to traditional gamma-rays and protons. This enhanced cell-killing ability makes heavy ions a promising option for veterinary cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Oncology
- Radiation Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Heavy ions offer superior biological effects due to high linear energy transfer (LET) compared to low LET protons and photons.
- Veterinary application of heavy ions necessitates understanding their efficacy, particularly in challenging cancers like canine osteosarcoma (OSA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the cell-killing efficacy of photons, protons, and heavy ions (carbon and iron) against canine osteosarcoma cells in vitro.
- To determine the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of different radiation types in canine OSA cell lines with varying radiosensitivities.
Main Methods:
- Irradiation of four canine OSA cell lines with 137Cs gamma-rays, proton beams, carbon ion beams, and iron ion beams.
- Assessment of clonogenic survival using colony-forming assays.
- Calculation of RBE values relative to gamma-rays using the D10 dose.
Main Results:
- Proton irradiation showed RBE values of 1.0-1.1 across all cell lines.
- Carbon ion irradiation resulted in RBE values of 1.56-2.10, indicating increased cell killing.
- Iron ion irradiation demonstrated the highest efficacy, with RBE values of 3.51-3.69 in radioresistant lines, showing lowest cell survival.
Conclusions:
- Heavy ions, particularly iron ions, are significantly more effective at killing radioresistant canine osteosarcoma cells than gamma-rays or protons.
- The enhanced cell-killing efficiency of heavy ions presents a compelling rationale for their use in treating radioresistant canine OSA.

