title: Role of impaired DNA repair in genotoxic susceptibility of patients with head and neck cancer.
abstract: DNA repair is critical for genotoxic susceptibility and cancer development. Forty-seven patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and 38 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Among the patients, 16 subjects had metastasis of HNSCC. The extent of DNA damage, including oxidative lesions, and efficiency of repair after genotoxic treatment with hydrogen peroxide were examined using the alkaline comet assay. HNSCC cells were sensitive to genotoxic treatment and displayed impaired DNA repair. In particular, lesions caused by hydrogen peroxide were repaired less effectively in cancer cells from patients with metastasis than in cells from healthy controls. We suggest that impaired DNA repair might play a role in genotoxic susceptibility of patients with head and neck cancer. Finally, as a consequence of this finding we have shown that treatment with DNA-reactive drugs could be considered as an effective therapy strategy for head and neck cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rusin
authors.forename: Jurek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olszewski
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morawiec-Bajda
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Przybylowska
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaczmarczyk
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golinska
authors.forename: Ireneusz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Majsterek
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009153:Mutagens / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens