DNA damage in breast cancer plus another primary cancer, early onset breast cancer, thyroid cancer and cancer-free individuals

2890 There is evidence that variation in the detection, signaling, and repair of DNA damage (from internal and external exposures and intrinsic instability of DNA) contributes to human cancer risk. To estimate steady state capacity of base excision repair to rectify DNA damage, we quantified single strand breaks and abasic sites in DNA of untreated cells using the alkaline Comet Assay. We assayed exponentially growing lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from a cohort of radiologic technologists who had been diagnosed with breast cancer plus another malignancy (breast-plus; n=21), early onset breast cancer (EOB, age