CONSTITUTIONAL CHROMOSOME INSTABILITY - POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC FOR PRECANCEROUS COLORECTAL LESIONS

Chromosome abnormalities are thought to be of pathogenetic importance in human neoplasia: hence the assumption that cancer risk must somehow be related to individual variations in genomic stability. Colorectal cancer represents a suitable model illustrating a multistep tumor deve lopment. Since the investigation of cellular indicators of genetic ins tability may lead to the identification of subjects at risk of genetic damage, the frequency of conventional chromosome aberrations (gaps an d breaks) and sister chromatid exchanged (SCE) was determined in lymph ocyte cultures from patients with adenomatosis of the colon and rectum , as well as from healthy control people. Results demonstrate that the average aberration levels are higher in the polyposis subjects than i n the controls, thus confirming the usefulness of monitoring those gen etically exposed subjects through the evaluation of chromosomal instab ility markers.