Background: DNA repair capacity may be an important factor in determining both individual susceptibility to cancer and the response to cancer therapy. The aim of this work was to compare DNA damage and the repair process in cells originating from healthy donors and cancer patients.
Materials and methods: Using the micronucleus and comet assays, we compared the induction of DNA damage and its repair in lymphocytes isolated from blood samples of 14 healthy donors and 24 patients with head and neck tumours. Gamma-rays at the dose of 2 or 4 Gy were used as the damaging factor. The micronucleus test was performed according to Fenech (1) and the comet assay according to Green et al. (2).
Results and conclusion: Lymphocytes of both healthy donors and tumour patients showed great diversification in reaction to the same dose of gamma irradiation as well as differences in the kinetics of DNA repair. The patient group contained significantly more individuals whose lymphocytes were characterized by higher background DNA damage and higher damage inducibility. Blood cells of donors showing high damage inducibility also showed increased levels of micronuclei induced by ionizing radiation. Micronuclei induction did not correlate with a high level of unrepaired DNA damage.