Elevated mutagen susceptibility in cultured lymphocytes of oral cancer patients

Mitomycin C (MMC)-induced lymphocytic sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency was studied in 40 oral cancer (OC) patients, 40 normal tobacco chewers (NC) and in 40 normal healthy individuals not consuming tobacco/areca nut in any form. Significantly higher MMC-induced SCE/cell values were observed among OC patients as compared to healthy non-chewer controls as well as NC. Although the mean SCE frequency for NC was comparable to that of healthy controls, three individuals showed an SCE rate higher than the highest observed among controls. The comparable frequency of the tobacco habit in these three individuals with that of the rest of the thirty-seven individuals indicated the possible involvement of factors other than tobacco consumption for the higher susceptibility to mutagens.