Theoretical Models of Cell Inactivation by Ionizing Particles

The several theoretical models of cell inactivation or cell survival fraction are introduced. Emphasis is placed on a new model-Ionization Ionization Clustering Cluster model. In order to understand some of the mechanisms of DNA damage related to cell killing and their dependence on radiation quality, the yields of single track lethal events are compared with the estimated yields of different classes of complex DNA lesions calculated by a fast Monte Carlo methods.