ICRP Publication 79

Genetic Susceptibility to Cancer

A Task Group of the ICRP Committee 1 (Radiation Effects) has reviewed relevant data with the objective of advising the Main Commission of the ICRP on the possible implications for radiological protection of emerging views on genetic susceptibility to cancer.  Chapters consider DNA damage, the mechanisms and genetics of solid tumours, lympho-haemopoietic tumours, commentary data and the development of computational modelling procedures that aim to describe the impact of genetic factors on radiation-tumorigenesis in human populations. The report is preliminary and serves principally to provide a framework on which to develop further views in this rapidly advancing area of human genetics.