[en] Taxol is an investigational antineoplastic agent which acts by stabilizing microtubules, thereby preventing normal mitosis. It is believed to block cells in the G₂/M phase of the cell cycle. The drug is a natural product isolated from the yew, Taxus brevifolia. We have used a cell line derived from human cervical carcinoma to investigate the combination of Taxol with high and low dose rate ¹³⁷Cs irradiation. An additive effect for Taxol plus radiation was observed; supra-additivity or synergism is not suggested by our data. In the cell line studies, drug concentrations that accumulate cells to some degree in the G₂/M phase of the cycle lead to cell cycle. In the clinic, Taxol shows promise both as a chemotherapeutic agent and as a possible adjunct to radiation. The present work demonstrates the need for further studies of Taxol plus radiation with a variety of human cell lines of normal and malignant origin. (author). 11 refs., 6 figs