Evaluation of Micronuclei in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Cytological Study

Oral cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, and its incidence is still rising, particularly in developing countries. The World Health Organization reports that oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer in males and tenth most common cancer in females.1 Early detection and prevention of oral cancer is the need of the hour to improve the prognosis. Genomic damage is considered as the most fundamental cause of developmental and degenerative disease. This genomic damage can be assessed and evaluated by numerous methods.2 Among them, one of the most popular and sensitive methods is the micronucleus (MN) test. A number of studies have correlated the frequency of micronuclei and severity of genotoxic damage.3-7 Micronuclei were initially discovered by William Henry Howell in red blood cells in 1891, and later by Justin Marie Jolly in 1905 and, thus, named as Howell Jolly bodies.7,8 Boller, Schmidt, and Heddle were the first to suggest the MN test as a method to detect genotoxic damage. The MN formation indicates genetic damage.9 These are extranuclear cytoplasmic bodies smaller than the main nucleus. The basic mechanism of its formation is chromosome damage either in the form of small acentric chromatids or chromosome fragments or whole chromosomes that fail to be included in the daughter nuclei at the completion of telophase during mitosis. Sometimes, there is a defect in chromosome segregation machinery, spindle apparatus, leading to micronuclei formation containing whole chromosomes. The MN test is a noninvasive, cost-effective, and easily acceptable procedure by patients.10-12 Based on this background, this study was undertaken to identify the feasible and economical method that could be used as a screening test in high-risk population for identifying the effects of genomic instabilities.