Persistence of chromosomal aberrations in blood lymphocytes of testicular cancer patients. I. The effect of vinblastine, cisplatin and bleomycin adjuvant therapy.

Chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges were examined in 45 patients with nonseminomatous testicular cancer at different times after the termination of vinblastine, cisplatin and bleomycin (VPB) therapy and in 22 age-matched healthy men and untreated testicular cancer patients. After 36 months, the frequency of unstable aberrations markedly decreased in peripheral blood lymphocytes of VPB-treated patients, however the persistence of aberrant cells even 75 months after the termination of treatment underlines the necessity of longer follow-up of VPB-treated patients in order to evaluate the relationship between their carcinogen sensitivity and the risk of second malignancies.