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[Biomonitoring of nurses occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs: the IMEPA Project]
Claudia Bolognesi1, Maria Concetta Nucci, Anna Maria Colacci
1Struttura di cancerogenesi ambientale, Istituto nazionale per la ricerca sul cancro, Genova. claudia.bolognesi@istge.it
Objective:
To develop a multiple-endpoint monitoring system in order to assess and minimize long term risks in hospital nurses exposed to antiblastic drugs.
Design:
Molecular epidemiology study.
Setting:
S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital in Bologna, Italy: nurses exposed to antiblastic drugs.
Participants:
50 exposed subjects (8 males and 42 females) and 50 unexposed individuals (8 males and 42 females) matched for age and smoking habits.
Main Outcome Measures:
Urinary markers of exposure, Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs) 27, 70, 90, 110, immunologic biomarkers in peripheral blood lymphocytes: apoptosis, cell-cycle analysis G1-S-G, typization of Natural Killer cells (NK) and receptors micronuclei; frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes and in exfoliated buccal mucosa cells; activation ofspecific oncogenes (bax, bcl2).
Results:
19/50 subjects showed urinary antiblastic drug levels (3 subjects MTX, 11 subjects CP, 5 subjects MTX and CP). No statistically significant differences were observed in all the considered biomarkers between the exposed and control groups.
Conclusion:
This biomonitoring study doesn't evidence any early significant effect associated to the exposure to antiblastic drugs.
