Micronucleated lymphocyte rates from head-and-neck cancer patients

We investigated whether head-and-neck cancers are associated with an increa sed micronucleated cell rates (MN cell rates) and whether risk factors for these cancers are associated with alterations in micronucleated lymphocytes . MN cell rates were assessed in cytokinesis-blocked lymphocytes of 57 head -and-neck cancer patients (CP) before any anticancer treatment and of 198 m ale and female healthy subjects (HS). In the HS group, only smoking status significantly affect MN cell rates. In CP group age, sex, tobacco status, a lcohol status, tumor stage, family history of cancer had no significant eff ect. For the non-smokers, the comparison between MN cell rates in HS and CP adjusted for age and sex showed a significant difference. The increase of MN cell rates in non-smokers patients may be attributable to cancer status. For the smokers, the comparison of MN cell rates in HS and CP matched for age and sex showed no significant difference. Pathological status could mas k the smoking effect on peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients. Moreover, it probably could partly explain why MN cell rates in matched-CP smokers a nd HS smokers were similar. The authors do not recommend the CBMN assay in this present form to study smoking DNA-damage effects in peripheral blood l ymphocytes of cancer patients, especially for patients with upper aero-dige stive tract cancers or lung cancers for which tobacco is the major risk fac tor. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.