Effect of clinically relevant irradiation regimes on human malignant melanomas grown in athymic nude mice

Human tumors grown subcutaneously in the thymus deficient nude mice are used as a model system to compare the effectiveness of clinically relevant irradiation regimes. Procedures for local irradiation of the tumors with 60Co radiation are described in detail. A preliminary test of the regression of two malignant melanomas, following three clinically relevant fractionation schedules, is performed. The overall treatment time and the nominal standard dose (NSD) are kept equal for the irradiation regimes chosen.