Studies on radiation-induced leukemia in mice.

D u r i n g t h e p a s t severa l y e a r s we h a v e been carr y i n g o u t a series of e x p e r i m e n t s dea l ing w i t h a n a t t e m p t to i nduce l e u k e m i a in mice of d i f f e ren t s t r a i n s b y t o t a l b o d y x r ad i a t i on . T h e m a i n p u r p o s e of t h i s s t u d y w a s to f ami l i a r ize ourse lves w i t h t h e inc idence of l e u k e m i a t h a t could be i n d u c e d in mice of o t h e r w i s e lowleukemic s t r a i n s b y ioniz ing r a d i a t i o n , to obse rve t h e d i f ferences in t h e inc idence of l e u k e m i a s i n d u c e d acco rd ing to t h e s t r a in of a n i m a l s used, a n d also to s t u d y t h e n a t u r e of l e u k e m i a t h u s i nduced . M i c e of t h e h i g h l e u k e m i c A k s t r a i n were also i r r a d i a t e d to d e t e r m i n e t h e poss ib le inf luence of t o t a l b o d y x r a d i a t i o n on t h e inc idence of spont a n e o u s l e u k e m i a in these mice. F u r t h e r m o r e , a g roup of C 3 H mice was g i v e n inocu la t ions , w h e n n e w b o r n , of t h e m o u s e leukem i a a g e n t (6), a n d t h e n i r r a d i a t e d , to d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of l e u k e m i a in such mice could t h u s be acce l e ra t ed (or de l ayed ) b y to t a l b o d y i r r ad ia t ion .