DNA damage in women with cervical neoplasia evaluated by DNA breakage detection-fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between the progressive stages of cervical dysplasia and DNA damage.

Study design: A hospital-based, unmatched case-control study was performed. DNA damage levels in the cervical epithelial cells of 30 women (10 with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions [LSIL], 10 with high-grade SIL [HSILI, and 10 with no cervical lesions) were evaluated using the DNA breakage detection-fluorescence in situ hybridization (DBD-FISH) technique. DNA damage levels were measured quantitatively using image analysis after whole-genomic DNA hybridization.

Results: LSIL patients presented a hybridization signal 20 times greater than the signal in control individuals, which reflected the basal level of DNA damage detected, and HSIL patients showed 100 times the basal control signal. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed differences between both patient groups and the control and between the patients with LSIL and HSIL.

Conclusion: The DBD-FISH technique is easy to apply to cervical scrapings and provides prompt results. Our findings confirm that the grade of a cervical lesion correlates with the degree of genomic instability.