Male and female APC1638N/+ mice (n=20 mice per group) were whole-body exposed to sham-radiation, γ rays, 12C, 28Si, or 56Fe radiation. For the >1 Gy HZE dose, we used γ-ray equitoxic doses calculated using relative biological effectiveness (RBE) determined previously. The mice were euthanized 150 days after irradiation, and intestinal and colon tumor frequency was scored.
The highest number of tumors was observed after 28Si, followed by 56Fe and 12C radiation, and tumorigenesis showed a male preponderance, especially after 28Si. Analysis showed greater tumorigenesis per unit of radiation (per cGy) at lower doses, suggesting either radiation-induced elimination of target cells or tumorigenesis reaching a saturation point at higher doses. Calculation of RBE for intestinal and colon tumorigenesis showed the highest value with 28Si, and lower doses showed greater RBE relative to higher doses.
We have demonstrated that the RBE of heavy ion radiation-induced intestinal and colon tumorigenesis is related to ion energy, LET, gender, and peak RBE is observed at an LET of 69 keV/μm. Our study has implications for understanding risk to astronauts undertaking long duration space missions.