QUALITATIVE DERMATOGLYPHIC TRAITS OF THE DIGITOPALMAR COMPLEX IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY CARCINOMA

Epidemiological research has shown an increase in morbidity of maligna nt lung tumors in this century, but present reports do not truly expla in the etiology of this disease. Therefore, we can suppose that there is a certain influence of the endogenic factors without significant et iological characteristics. This research results from the knowledge th at dermatoglyphs as polygenetically determined features develop at the same time and from the same tissue as a part of the respiratory syste m. The analysis of the qualitative characteristics of dermatoglyphs of the digito-palmar complex in 301 patients with different kind of bron chopulmonary carcinoma, 400 phenotypicaly healthy subjects from Zagreb and 63 patients with extrinsic asthma was conducted. On fingers and p alms using the Chi square test, statistically significant differences were found between patients with bronchopulmonary carcinoma and the he althy population group, as well as with asthmatic patients and within different types of carcinoma. The Hiernaux DELTAg biological distance showed also the difference between the type of carcinomas and healthy control groups, as well as with asthma. Although dermatoglyphs are pol ygenetically determined traits, and dermatoglyphs could be influenced by exogenic factors in the early intrauterine period of embriogenesis, the established biological differences between the patients and compa rative groups indicate a possibility of a genetic predisposition for t his disease.