The Ames test as possible biomarker

Background and objective. The incidence of squamous cell carcinomas in the upper aerodigestive tract has increased worldwide. The main risk factors ar e chronic tobacco and alcohol consumption. The detection of highrisk person s is important because early diagnosis of these tumors provides a good chan ce for permanent healing. Biomonitoring programs may help to give precise i nformation about the individual cancer risk among smoking and drinking pers ons. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Ames lest as a biomarker to detect the genotoxicity of saliva. Patients and methods. Saliva specimens of 131 probands were investigated fo r their genotoxic effects using the Ames test. Results. Our results showed an increased trend of genotoxic activity in the saliva of smokers. A highly significant additional increase of genotoxicity was measured in smoking an d drinking individuals. Conclusions. Our study shows that the Ames test could be used to show genot oxic effects in saliva specimens. In combination with other biomarkers, thi s test may help to develop a valid concept for detecting cancer-endangered people.