Our results, although without accounting for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, but on a sizeable sample (n=50) of unselected BC patients, are also in line with the finding of Rothfuß et al (2000) that the Comet assay has not revealed any difference between the in vitro-irradiated cells from four patients with BRCA1 mutation and those from four control subjects. The gene discussed is BRCA1; the disease is breast cancer.