The Problem of the Relationship of the Chromosome Aberration Frequency in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes with the Risk of Disease Development Including after Irradiation

: This paper presents an analysis of the data published in the scientific literature in connection with the prob- lem of forecasting the risk of development of malignant and non-malignant diseases by chromosome aberra- tion frequencies in cultures of human peripheral- blood lymphocytes. This question is closely linked with the concept of a common chromosomal instability. At the end of the twentieth century evidence of the possibility of such forecast for malignant diseases appeared when cytogenetic indices did not exceed control values on the whole. At the same time there are significant uncertainties due to interindividual and intraindividual variability. In addition, there are significant difficulties concerning distinction of chromosome aberrations induced by environmental influences (for example, radiation) and those due to the possibility of internal processes in the body. For non-malignant diseases the applicability of a similar approach to risk evaluation is not sufficiently substantiated.