Cellular proliferation in tumor and in normal tissues

The ultimate aim of radiation therapy is to permanently inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. A complex series of biologic events is initiated, however, when a treatment field is irradiated. Therapists should be aware of the great heterogeneity of cell populations that are perturbed as well as the potential early and late sequelae of their actions. This chapter explores the pertinent cell biology of these cell populations in their unperturbed state, with particular reference to human cell populations