title: Assessment of oral cytological changes associated with exposure to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Death from cancer is high in Sudan, with low survival rates, as most of the patients present with advanced disease. Most patients receive high and repeated doses of radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using cytological evaluation to detect oral epithelial atypia amongst these patients. As a part of the continuous development in cancer therapy, this case control study was conducted in Khartoum, Sudan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Papanicolaou stained oral mucosal cells were obtained from 100 cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy (ascertained as cases), 50 cancer patients not exposed to either therapy (control 1), and 50 apparently healthy individuals (control 2).
  
  
  METHODS
  The data was analyzed by using a computer SPSS program, to obtain the Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Without prior knowledge of the subjects' group, oral epithelial atypia was detected in 7% of the cases. Inconclusive features of cytological atypia were observed in 13% of the cases. Atypia was not observed in both the control groups. Inflammatory infiltrate and viral cytopathic effects were identified in 32% and 8% of the cases respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cytological atypia, viral infections, and inflammatory infiltrates were detected after exposure to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Faculty of Medical laboratory Sciences, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. hussaingad1972@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hussain G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Dalia Ai
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Elemirri