ABSTRACT
Chromosomal alterations readily perceived when the chromosomes are decondensed and elongated as they are during the greater part of any individual cell cycle, the consequences of such alterations are only seen at the stage of maximal chromosomal condensation, mitosis. The induction of chromosomal alterations by ionizing radiation is probably the most readily discernible manifestation of radiation damage to proliferating cells. The effects of ionizing radiation on chromosomes as perceived by the light microscope can essentially be classified in terms of the stage in the cell cycle when the damage was initiated and the number of chromosomes involved. The dose delivered by ionizing radiation is received in cells as individual energy deposition events, the rate of energy deposition per unit distance traversed, linear energy transfer is a common parameter in radiation studies. Though tedious, analysis of chromosomal aberrations will continue to provide the primary bridge in interpreting, effects of the physical deposition of energy from ionizing radiation, its biological consequences.
