Sister chromatid exchange rate and alkaline comet assay scores in patients with ovarian cancer

Objective. Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies were studied in patients with different types of ovarian malignancies and in healthy volunteers. The level of DNA damage in patients with ovarian malignancy and control subjects has also been studied by alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), also known as the comet assay. Patients and methods. Peripheral blood was collected from 30 patients after histological confirmation of malignancy and 20 healthy female volunteers. The cells were evaluated according to their grade of damage. Results. We found that the sister chromatid exchange frequencies of cancer cases were significantly greater than that of controls (P < 0.001). The frequency of exchange in chromosomal groups A, B, and C, which include chromosomes 1-12, was higher than that of the other chromosomal groups in both groups. Comparison of the results of the alkaline comet assay in patient and control subjects showed a significant difference in the number of damaged cells. The frequency of limited migrated and extensive migrated cells in the women with ovarian malignancies was higher than that of control women (P < 0.001). Conclusion. SCE and SCGE can be used successfully to monitor DNA damage in women with ovarian cancer. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science.