Slow repair after X-rays and fast neutrons

Two of the most important known phenomena which influence the response of cells and tissues to fractionated doses of ionizing radiation are recovery from sublethal injury and repopulation of surviving cells. The first of these is usually reduced with high LET irradiation, whereas repopulation is thought to be the same after all types of irradiation. Recently another repair process has been postulated to occur between doses of radiation, but only in tissues for which the normal generation time is long (Field et al., 1976).