Background and purpose: Cytogenetic tests are used to assess the individual’s radiosensitivity and the potential to develop cancerous diseases. Our aim was to assess the radiosensitivity of patients with prostate cancer and healthy individuals based on Premature Chromosome Condensation (PCC).

Materials and methods: 3.5 ml blood was collected from peripheral veins of 10 healthy individuals and 10 patients with prostate cancer and put into 7 sterile microtubes. All samples, except the controls, were irradiated to 6MV beams of a Siemens LINAC at different doses (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 6 Gy). Chemical PCC test was performed on each sample and the prepared slides were scored. The Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA and Mann-Whitney statistical tests were used to compare the chromosomal aberrations resulted from different dose levels in each group (healthy/cancerous), and identical doses resulted from the two groups, respectively.

Results: There was a significant correlation between irradiation dose (for doses ≥0.5 Gy) and the rings in both of the healthy and prostate cancer patients indicating an increase in the number of rings with dose escalation (P<0.05). Comparing healthy individuals and cancerous patients revealed no significant difference in their ring number at the same level of radiation doses (P= 0.784).

Conclusion: In theory, PCC test should be capable of determining more chromosomal aberrations than dicentric test, so, if the FISH test is used simultaneously, we might be able to score dicentrics and other fragments. By these, it may also be possible to better differentiate the radiosensitivity of healthy individuals and prostate cancer patients.