The inverse dose-rate effect for oncogenic transformation by neutrons and charged particles: a plausible interpretation consistent with published data.

The enhancement of oncogenic transformation in the C3H10T1/2 system by protraction of a high-LET irradiation has been widely reported. Prima facie, the results are inconsistent in that some but not all experiments have shown an enhancement. That the reported data follow a clear pattern is shown, and a model whose predictions are quantitatively consistent with these trends is discussed. The model, developed from that originally suggested by Rossi and Kellerer (1986), postulates that cells are especially sensitive to radiation during some period of their cycle. A sensitive period of about 1 h is shown to yield predictions consistent with all available data. If the suggested model is realistic and applicable to human cells in vivo, little enhancement would be expected for high-LET radiations such as from radon daughters or HZE cosmic rays, though an effect might be expected from trapped protons on astronauts in earth orbit. For fission neutrons a time-dependent factor of N = 2 in the formula for dose equivalent (H = DQN) might be appropriate for very low dose rates, if a quality factor Q = 10 were applied. If Q was taken as 20, then a value of N = 1 would probably be adequate.