Evaluation of micronuclei frequency in the cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes of cancer patients before and after radiation treatment

The frequency of micronucleated binucleate lymphocyte (MNBMC) was determine d in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients suffering from various ty pes of cancer before the onset of radiation treatment, middle (mid-) of the treatment and after completion of the treatment (post-treatment). The freq uency of micronuclei increased significantly in the pretreatment sample of cancer patients when compared with the normal untreated healthy volunteers. During the middle of the radiotherapy an approximate two or >two-fold incr ease was observed in the micronuclei frequency in most of the patients when compared with the concurrent pretreatment samples. Immediately after the c ompletion of treatment, the frequency of micronuclei further increased, and this increase was significantly higher than that of pretreatment and mid-t reatment samples. Out of 27 patients analyzed, only nine patients did not h ave any history of smoking, tobacco chewing or alcohol consumption, while t he remaining 18 patients had a history of either smoking, tobacco chewing o r alcohol consumption or combination of two or all habits: at the time of b lood collection. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.