The study on clinic significance of detection of telomerase activity in specimens of different types of lung cancer

Objective: to access the clinic significance of detection of telomerase activity in specimens of different types of primary lung cancer, and to analysis correlation among telomerase activity and pathologic types, clinic stages and lymph node metastasis. Methods: having collected ①42 surgical specimens of lung cancer and 35 of normal lung tissue beyond 5 cm from lung cancer focus.②bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 63 lung cancer, at the same time the brush slide and lavage fluid cytology examination were carried out, and 31 other lung diseases.③sputums of 34 lung cancer and 31 other lung diseases. The telomerase activity was measured with the modified telomeric repeats amplification protocol (TRAP). Results: ①the positive rate of telomerase activity of surgical specimens and control group was 64.3%(27/42)and 0%(0/35)respectively (χ 2=34.96, P0.01); the positive rate of telomerase activity ofⅠ-Ⅱ stage , 27 Ⅲ-Ⅳ stage, without lymphnode metastasis, with lymphnode metastasis, squamous cancer, adenocarcinomas and small-cell cancer respectively was 86.7%(13/15),77.8%(21/27) , 75.8%(22/29) , 92.3%(12/13), 77.2%(13/18)?87.5%(14/16) and 87.5%(7/8)(all P0.05).②the positive rate of telomerase activity of BALF of lung cancer and other lung diseases was 76.2%(48/63)and 6.5%(2/31)respectively (χ 2=40.6, P0.01), the positive rate of telomerase in BALF of lung cancer was higher than brush cytology(χ 2=3.61, P0.05), and higher than BALF cytology (χ 2=24.96,P0.01);③the positive rate of telomerase activity of sputum of lung cancer and other lung disease was 29.4%(10/34)and 3.2%(1/31)respectively (χ 2=7.9, P0.01).Conclusion: Telomerase activity had been detected in different types of lung cancer including surgical specimens, bronchoalvealar lavage fluid and sputum. Telomerase activity had high sensitivity and specificity. Telomerase activity detection was available for diagnose of lung cancer. There was no significance for telomerase activity to predict cancer stage, lymph node metastasis and pathologic types.