In Vitro Radiosensitivity of Fibroblasts from Thyroid and Skin Cancer Patients Treated w

To investigate the hypothesis that persons who developed thyroid or skin cancer subsequent to scalp irradiation for tinea capitis are particularly sensitive to radiation, possibly because of a high frequency of ataxia-telangiectasia, we used an in vitro cell survival assay to evaluate radiosensitivity of their fibroblast cell strains. Study subjects were selected from a cohort of 10,834 Israelis irradiated during childhood for tinea capitis. Skin fibroblasts were obtained from thyroid and skin cancer patients (cases) as well as a sample of subjects who did not have cancer (controls). Fibroblasts were cultured and then loss of colony-forming ability as a result of acute X-irradiation was evaluated. Comparison of survival curve parameters (mean invers