Some radiobiological aspects of total body irradiation (TBI)

Data from the literature on total body irradiation are reported. The biological concept of fractionation of TBI is reviewed. The therapeutic gain of fractionated single dose as compared single dose to irradiation is explained. However, other data from Song et al. show that repair capacity of hemopoietic or leukemic cells may be underestimated. More data with fractionation experiments are needed. The significance of repopulation between fractionation doses is unknown. The interaction of TBI and preceding chemotherapy should be studied in more detail.