Indicators of genetic damage in alcoholics: Reversibility after alcohol abstinence

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although a primary carcinogenic role of alcohol is not pro ven, alcohol abuse is associated with an increased risk of cancer of the up per airways, esophagus and liver. METHODOLOGY: Chromosome aberrations and the presence of micronuclei that re flect two types of genetic damage were analyzed in peripheral blood lymphoc ytes from 11 alcoholic patients who were heavy smokers and in a fair state of general nutrition and 9 subjects who had abstained from alcohol for at l east a year. Ten heavy smokers were studied as healthy controls. RESULTS: Chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in alcoholics showed signif icantly elevated frequencies compared to the control groups, while in alcoh ol abstainers the values of all two parameters were similar to the values o f the control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that long-term alcohol intake could induce genetic alterations in synergy with tobacco smoke. Interestingly, this dama ging action is reversed by abstinence. Our results call for a further effor t to find an eventual diagnostic role for these early genetic damage marker s.