A Generalized Formulation of Dual Radiation Action1

Dual radiation action is a process in which cellular lesions are produced as a result of the interaction of pairs of sublesions that are molecular alterations produced by ionizing radiation. Previous formulations of this process have employed a number of simplifying assumptions that limit the accuracy and the range of application of theoretical analysis. The formulation presented here removes some of these restrictions by introducing three functions that describe the geometry of the sensitive material in the cell, the geometry of the pattern of energy deposition, and the interaction probability of sublesions as a function of their separation. The relation derived is similar to that obtained previously, in that lesion production is found to depend on two terms that are proportional to the first and the second power of the absorbed dose. However, the coefficients of these terms are now derived on the basis of a more realistic treatment.