Dosimetry of irradiation models. The 96-well clonogenic assay for testing radiosensitivity of cell lines.

Radiation experiments with cells in single cell suspension in test tubes and on 96-well plates were carried out and compared. The cells originated from cell lines established from carcinomas of the floor of the mouth and from endometrial carcinoma. Two irradiation models were constructed. Both models allowed the absorbed doses to the cells to be administered with a high accuracy in both experimental settings (better than 5.0%). These irradiation models were compared on cancer cell lines with dissimilar inherent radiation sensitivity and histologic type (UM-SCC-1 resistant, UM-SCC-14A sensitive, and UT-EC-2B highly sensitive); various radiation doses were used. The fractions of surviving cells as a function of radiation dose were compared: there was no significant difference between cells irradiated in test tubes and cells irradiated in 96-well plates. Thus, if the absorbed doses in cells suspended in a tube and in a plate were the same, the survival was similar regardless of the type of irradiation model.