Micronucleus testing as a cancer detector: endometrial hyperplasia to carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Endometrium carcinoma (EC) is the fourth common cancer among women worldwide and the incidence is increasing. It is important to define the EC earlier for survival of the patients. METHODS: Women who had endometrial hyperplasia (EH) and EC in postmenopausal and premenopausal period were included to participate in this study. MN assay has been performed to participants for detection of the genetic damages and DNA instability. RESULTS: MN ratio was significantly higher in EC group compared to other two groups (EH and control groups) (p < 0.001). On the other hand, there was no significant difference among these groups with regard to number of gravidity and presence of a family history of cancer (p > 0.05). MN frequency and NDI were significantly correlated with the age in endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, endometrial cancer and control groups (r 0.546, p < 0.001; r 0.320, p 0.024; r 0.396, p 0.003, respectively). Similarly, MN frequency and NDI were significantly correlated with BMI in three groups (r 0.287, p 0.044; r 0.467, p 0.001; r 0.473, p 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: MN scoring in pre-neoplastic conditions of the endometrium can be used as adjunct in endometrium cancer screening. By using MN assay, discrimination may be possible among endometrial cancer, endometrial precancerous lesions and pathologically normal patients. This is an easy, simple, reliable, reproducible objective test and can be used in routine patient examination.