Expression and clinical significance of telomerase activity in esophageal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the expression and clinical significance of telomerase activity in esophageal carcinoma and to investigate telomerase as a useful cancer marker for esophageal carcinoma.METHODS:The activity of telomerase was investigated by TRAP-PCR-ELLISA in tumors and corresponding adjacent nomal tissues obtained from resected specimens of 42 patients with esophageal carcinoma,and 16 specimens of esophageal benign lesion were examined simultaneously.RESULTS:Telomerase activity was detected in 36 (85.7%) of the 42 tumors and only 5(11.9%) of the 42 adjacent noncancerous esophageal tissue samples,P0.01,but in none of 16 specimens of esophageal benign lesions,P0.01. Correlation with pathological parameters showed that the expression of telomerase activity was associated with lymph nodes metastasis,P0.01,but not with differenciated grade of tumor. CONCLUSIONS:These data suggested that high telomerase expression is indeed correlate with the carcinogenesis and aggressiveness of esophageal carcinoma. Telomerase might be one of the important diagnostic and prognostic factors in patients with esophageal carcinoma.