ABSTRACT
To the extent that therapeutic radiology is a science, the laws of radiobiology strictly govern the manner in which X-rays should be administered for the treatment of malignant disease. To discuss radiobiology and radiotherapy as if they were wholly separate disciplines is at best naive. Whether the problem reflects the absolute limitation of hyperbaric therapy or a technical deficiency of the procedures that have been used remains to be clarified; but in either case, the method cannot be considered suitable for routine clinical treatment at present. To some extent, the problem is indirectly ameliorated by the same techniques of fractionated radiotherapy used to deal with hypoxia. However, if the total course of therapy is considered as a series of treatments, each one of which can produce the effects described for systemic effects, it becomes clear that in the sum of these effects that compensation does not occur.
