Effects of Localized Radiotherapy upon the Cellular Immune Response

We delivered two regimens of fractionated doses, one of 700 rad three times in 1 week, and one of 400 rad three times a week for 3 weeks, to the left hind limbs of tumor-bearing mice. We then assessed the effect of this localized radiotherapy on tumor growth and immunological function. The first protocol only slightly delayed tumor growth and was accompanied by a decrease in cytotoxic activity of the splenocytes when measured by the 51 Cr release test, even immediately after one irradiation. The second protocol enabled 50% of the tumor-bearing group to survive for more than 6 months. At the same time, there was no decrease in cytotoxic activity of the spleen even after the full course of nine irradiations. We assumed that the depressive effect of 700 rad was due to the scatter, and elicited a threshold dose of 12 to 15 rad from the dose-response studies on cytotoxicity.