Chromosomal aberrations in the peripheral lymphocytes of cancer patients treated with high-energy electrons and bleomycin.

5 patients with inoperable bronchogenic carcinomas on a weekly therapy with a low dose of bleomycin (BL) plus irradiation with high-energy electrons, were analysed cytogenetically by cultivating peripheral lymphocytes taken immediately before the BL treatments and some hours before the irradiations. For the induction of dicentric chromosomes, linear dose-effect relationships were found: 3 of the patients responded with similar dose-effect relationships. The other 2 were different: they were not comparable with those 3 or with each other. These results were unexpected because all 5 patients received similar types of treatment.