Jornal de Patologia Clínica e Experimental

Abstrato

The Role of Micronuclei as a Screening Tool in Oral Cancers

Suganya R, Prabha V, Lalitha S and Rajajeyakumar M

Background: The assessment of Micronuclei frequency in exfoliated oral epithelial cells has been shown to correlate with severity of the chromosomal damage and seems to increase steadily in malignant lesions.

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of micronuclei (MN) in oral exfoliated cells of malignant oral lesions in tobacco chewers and comparing them with that of healthy individuals.

Materials and methods: The study participants were divided into two groups consisting of 25 cases with malignant oral lesions in tobacco chewers and 25 normal healthy controls. The cytosmears were stained with Papanicolaou stain. The micronuclei frequency was identified using Tolbert's criteria. Later the oral lesions were confirmed with tissue biopsy.

Results: The frequency of micronuclei was found to be higher in malignant oral lesions as compared with controls.

Conclusions: Hence, micronuclei can be used as a biomarker of chromosomal damage, which is a useful diagnostic as well as prognostic indicator.