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Circulating Stem Cells : Variation with Duration of Partial Body X-irradiation

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Abstract

LEUCOCYTE depression is often produced by localized radiation therapy. This frequently appears inordinate for the amount of bone marrow within the radiated field. A possible explanation for this leucopsenia is that during a course of radiation therapy (usually given in daily doses for a number of weeks) a large number of circulating stem cells1−6 enter the radiated field, are destroyed, and thus a leucocyte depression is produced. I have attempted to test this hypothesis in previous experiments7,8 by subjecting two groups of mice to partial body irradiation. Both groups received the same total dose; however, one group was radiated for 2–3 min while the other was exposed for 100–120 min. If the hypothesis is correct, then the mice exposed for the longer duration should develop a more profound and prolonged leucopænia. This is what was observed. The present experiment attempts, more directly, to observe the effects of the duration of partial body irradiation on the number of circulating stem cells to see whether these changes in the leucocyte levels reflect changes in stem cells.

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  1. Department of Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    SAMUEL HELLMAN

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  1. SAMUEL HELLMAN
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HELLMAN, S. Circulating Stem Cells : Variation with Duration of Partial Body X-irradiation. Nature 205, 100–101 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/205100a0

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