8
Views
17
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Sister Chromatid Exchange Analysis in Nurses Handling Antineoplastic Drugs

, , , &
Pages 101-107 | Published online: 11 Jun 2009
 

Abstract

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analyses were carried out in hospital nurses to determine whether an increased frequency of SCE may be used as an indicator of occupational exposure to potentially harmful antineoplastic drugs. In our study of 18 oncology nurses who handled these agents for an average of three days per week, we found no increase in mean SCE frequency (9.3 ± 1.7 SCEs/cell) and no difference in the distribution of individual mean SCE frequencies compared to a group of 18 nurses who did not handle these drugs (9.5 ± 1.5 SCEs/cell). There was a great deal of individual variation in mean SCE frequency as well as in SCE values in individual cells. No relationship with SCE frequency was found in terms of a subject's age, or the number of days of exposure to the drugs. Since conflicting results have been reported in persons handling antineoplastic drugs, SCE analysis alone is probably not a reliable indicator of exposure to possible mutagenic/carcinogenic effects of these drugs. SCE analysis may be helpful in conjunction with other studies, such as an analysis of urinary mutagens, or in studies of occupational exposure to agents other than antineoplastic drugs which may have a more noticeable effect on SCE frequency.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.