Correlations between risk factors for breast cancer and genetic instability in cancer patients-A clinical perspective study

Márcia Fernanda Correia Jardim Paz, Marcus Vinícius Oliveira Barros de Alencar, Antonio Luiz Gomes Junior, Keylla da Conceição Machado, Muhammad Torequl Islam, Eunus S. Ali, Manik Chandra Shill, Md Iqbal Ahmed, Shaikh Jamal Uddin, Ana Maria Oliveira Ferreira da Mata, Ricardo Melo de Carvalho, Kátia da Conceição Machado, André Luiz Pinho Sobral, Felipe Cavalcanti Carneiro da Silva, João Marcelo de Castro e Souza, Daniel Dias Rufino Arcanjo, Paulo Michel Pinheiro Ferreira, Siddhartha Kumar Mishra, Juliana da Silva, Ana Amélia de Carvalho Melo-Cavalcante

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Molecular epidemiological studies have identified several risk factors linking to the genes and external factors in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. In this sense, genetic instability caused by DNA damage and DNA repair inefficiencies are important molecular events for the diagnosis and prognosis of therapies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze correlation between sociocultural, occupational, and lifestyle risk factors with levels of genetic instability in non-neoplastic cells of breast cancer patients. Total 150 individuals were included in the study that included 50 breast cancer patients submitted to chemotherapy (QT), 50 breast cancer patients submitted to radiotherapy (RT), and 50 healthy women without any cancer. Cytogenetic biomarkers for apoptosis and DNA damage were evaluated in samples of buccal epithelial and peripheral blood cells through micronuclei and comet assay tests. Elder age patients (61-80 years) had higher levels of apoptosis (catriolysis by karyolysis) and DNA damage at the diagnosis (baseline damage) with increased cell damage during QT and especially during RT. We also reported the increased frequencies of cytogenetic biomarkers in patients who were exposed to ionizing radiation as well as for alcoholism and smoking. QT and RT induced high levels of fragmentation (karyorrhexis) and nuclear dissolution (karyolysis) and DNA damage. Correlations were observed between age and karyorrhexis at diagnosis; smoking and karyolysis during RT; and radiation and karyolysis during QT. These correlations indicate that risk factors may also influence the genetic instability in non-neoplastic cells caused to the patients during cancer therapies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number236
JournalFrontiers in Genetics
Volume8
Issue numberFEB
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 16 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Paz, de Alencar, Gomes Junior, da Conceição Machado, Islam, Ali, Shill, Ahmed, Uddin, da Mata, de Carvalho, da Conceição Machado, Sobral, da Silva, de Castro e Souza, Arcanjo, Ferreira, Mishra, da Silva and de Carvalho Melo-Cavalcante.

Keywords

  • Apoptosis
  • Breast cancer
  • Chemotherapy
  • Genetic instability
  • Risk factors
  • Toxicogenomics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Genetics(clinical)

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