Beril BALCI TOPUZ, Ataman GÖNEL, Mustafa YILDIRIM
Turkish Journal of Oncology - 2026;41(2):120-125
Objective: Ionizing radiation produces reactive oxygen species that may affect biomolecular integrity, but its impact on routine biochemical test accuracy is unclear. This study evaluated the analytical stability of common biochemical parameters in serum control materials following therapeutic photon irradiation. Methods: Commercial multi-analyte serum control solutions were irradiated with 6 MV photons at doses of 1.5-24 Gy using a clinical linear accelerator (LINAC). Thirty routinely tested biochemical parameters were analyzed on the Abbott Alinity c system. Each dose level was tested in 20 technical replicates, and percentage bias (%) from the reference value was calculated. Results: Radiation exposure caused no meaningful deviations in 96% of analytes, with all bias values within +/-6%. Liver enzymes (AST, ALP, GGT, LDH) and other enzymatic markers (CK, amylase, lipase, CK-MB) showed excellent stability. Renal (urea, creatinine, uric acid), lipid (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL), and electrolyte parameters (Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca²+, Mg²+, phosphate) remained unaffected. The only dose-dependent change was a ~10% decrease in total bilirubin at 24 Gy, consistent with its known light- and radiation-sensitive chromophore. Conclusion: Serum control materials retained analytical integrity under photon doses up to 24 Gy. Except for bilirubin, all routine assays demonstrated excellent analytical stability, confirming that therapeutic radiation does not compromise biochemical test reliability.
