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. 2004 Jun;45(1-2):61–74. doi: 10.1007/s10616-004-5126-0

Telomerase detection in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer

Eiso Hiyama 1,✉, Keiko Hiyama 2
PMCID: PMC3449962  PMID: 19003244

Abstract

Telomerase, a critical enzyme responsible ‘for cellular immortality, is usually repressed in somatic cells except for lymphocytes and self-renewal cells, but is activated in approximately 85% of human cancer tissues. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is the catalytic component of human telomerase. In cancers in which telomerase activation occurs at the early stages of the disease, telomerase activity and hTERT expression are useful markers for the detection of cancer cells. In other cancers in which telomerase becomes upregulated upon tumor progression, they are useful as prognostic indicators. However, careful attention should be paid to false–negative results caused by the instability of telomerase and of the hTERT mRNA and the presence of PCR inhibitors, as well as to false–positive results caused by the presence of alternatively spliced hTERT mRNA and normal cells with telomerase activity. Recently, methods for the in situ detection of the hTERT mRNA and protein have been developed. These methods should facilitate the unequivocal detection of cancer cells, even in tissues containing a background of normal telomerase-positive cells.

Keywords: Cytology, Diagnosis, Fine needle aspiration, hTERT, Human telomerase reverse transcriptase, Immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, Prognosis, Telomerase, Telomeric repeat amplification protocol, TRAP

Full Text

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Glossary

BAL

bronchoalveolar lavage

FNA

fine needle aspiration

IHC

immunohistochemistry

ISH

in situ hybridization

hTERT

human telomerase reverse transcriptase

hTR

human telomerase RNA

TRAP

telomeric repeat amplification protocol

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