The effect of x-irradiation on cell loss in five solid murine tumours, as determined by the 125IUdR method

The rate of cell loss in irradiated RIF-1, EMT6, KHJJ, B16 and KHT tumours was studied using the 125IUdR loss technique. Administration of 125IUdR preceded localized tumour irradiation by 2 days. Loss of tumour radioactivity was measured for 6-8 days after irradiation. The blood flow to some tumours was occluded during, and for 30 min following, injection of the label to measure the amount of radioactivity entering the tumour as a result of reutilization of label from the gut epithelia and influx of labelled host cells. Irradiation did not significantly alter the amount of radioactivity entering these clamped tumours during the 8-10 days after injection of 125IUdR. This permitted comparison of irradiated and control groups based on the loss of radioactivity from the non-occluded tumours. Irradiation of RIF-1, EMT6, KHJJ or B16 tumours with doses of 600, 1400, 2400 or 4400 rads produced no significant increase in the rate of loss of tumour radioactivity. This suggested that, in the population of labelled cells, cell lysis following irradiation proceeded slowly. In contrast, KHT tumours showed a significant increase in loss rate following each radiation dose, although the increase was dose-independent. In all tumour systems, the constant rate of cell loss after radiation appeared to coincide with published reports of tumour growth responses after irradiation. The present data suggest that the manner of expression of radiation-induced cell killing results from the cellular proliferative status, i.e. whether a cell is cycling or non-cycling.