Chromosome damage in G0 X-irradiated lymphocytes from patients with hereditary retinoblastoma.

The amount of chromosome damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes following 400 rads G0 X-irradiation in 10 of 11 hereditary retinoblastoma patients was shown to be intermediate between that in normals and damage in trisomy 21 patients. The difference between normals and hereditary retinoblastoma patients was small, it varied between hereditary retinoblastoma patients, and no difference was detected following 200 rads G0 X-irradiation. No difference was found in levels of spontaneous chromosome damage in hereditary retinoblastoma patients, trisomy 21 patients, and normals. These results suggest that, although sensitivity to ionizing radiation may be associated with hereditary retinoblastoma, the observed difference is so small that it is probably not the major effect of the gene predisposing to retinoblastoma.