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Withers 1966: Skin remains intact if clonogen survival is
higher than about 5 per 10
-6
per cm
2
. Higher doses will
cause moist desquamation.
Dose-response for skin epithelium
20 days after 15Gy
Dose-survival curves for mouse skin epithelial
clonogenic (stem) cells in conditions of hyperbaric
oxygen, air breathing or ischemic hypoxia induced
by compression.
hypoxia
air
oxygen
Two clonally-derived islands of epithelium in
a 1 cm diameter radiation-induced ulcer of
the skin on the back of a mouse. Rapid
regrowth on epithelial surfaces such as skin
and mucosa provide a reason for protracting
radiation therapy over several weeks.