In vitro model for the response to irradiation of different types of human intracranial tumours.

Twenty-seven human low and high grade gliomas and five meningiomas were cultured in vitro as tumour tissue and/or tumour cells. Cell survival or growth was taken as a measure of radiation response. Astrocytomas II–III and glioblastomas manifested individual patterns of radiosensitivity, ranging from 10 to 90 Gy. Meningiomas did not react. Our findings are consistent with the differences in radiosensitivity of human gliomas experienced clinically and corroborate the validity of the in vitro model.