Detection of stable chromosome aberrations by FISH in A-bomb survivors: comparison with previous solid Giemsa staining data on the same 230 individuals

It has previously been established that the conventional method can detect about 20% of radiation-induced translocations as abnormal monocentric chromosomes. Present results indicate that an additional 50% can be detected if proper karyotyping is conducted and the remaining 30% are not likely to be detected unless FISH or banding methods are used. Thus, solid Giemsa staining accompanied by karyotyping may not be quite as unsuitable as is generally assumed for retrospective biodosimetry analyses, which deal mainly with stable aberrations.