Sensitivity of lymphocytes from patients with cancer to X- and ultraviolet radiation

It has been suggested that radiation sensitivity may be increased in certain patients with cancer. Using a high-efficiency limiting dilution cloning technique, the sensitivity to x- and ultraviolet (UV)-radiation of lymphocytes from untreated patients with cancer to that of age-matched controls was compared. Sensitivity to x-radiation in 19 patients with carcinoma and 10 with lymphoma, and sensitivity to UV-radiation in 8 patients with carcinoma and 4 with lymphoma were studied. The proportion of unirradiated lymphocytes forming clones was significantly lower in patients with cancer, particularly lymphoma, but there was no suggestion of increased sensitivity to either x- or UV-radiation in any of the patients studied.