[A study on the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges in patients with oral submucous fibrosis in peripheral blood lymphocytes].

The frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in peripheral blood lymphocytes in the patients (n = 27) with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) with the habit of chewing areca nuts were determined by BrdU-Giemsa staining. The healthy persons (n = 14) with the same habit and the normal controls without the habit (n = 44) were studied at the same time. The results showed that the frequency of SCEs in the first two groups were obviously higher than that in the last one (P < 0.001). The frequency of SCEs in the patients were also higher than that of the healthy persons with the habit (P < 0.001). These suggest that there are some substances in the areca nuts which can induce the mutation and/or malignant transformation of cells. The habit of chewing areca nuts might seriously disturb the stability of chromosome. OSF is a precancer condition. The occurrence of it perhaps has some hereditary background or genetic susceptibility.