| Topoisomerase II inhibitors are effective chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer, in spite of being associated with the development of secondary leukemia. Our purpose was to determine the effects of etoposide on different genomic regions, aiming at discovering whether there are preferential sites which can be targeted by this drug in peripheral lymphocytes from healthy individuals. The in vitro treatment with low doses of etoposide (0.25, 0.5, and 1 µg/mL, in 1 hour-pulse or continuous-48 h treatment) induced a significant increase in chromosomal aberrations, detected by conventional staining and FISH with specific probes for chromosomes 8 and 11, compared with untreated controls (p < 0.05). Additionally, the frequencies of alterations at... |
