Telomerase activity in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Aim:To study telomerase activity in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and evaluate its potential clinical value in screening and early diagnosis of cervical cancer as a tumor biological marker Methods: Sixteen cervical intraepithelial neoplasia specimens were measured quantitatively for telomerase activity by using the Telomerase-TRAP-ELISA, and eleven normal tissue specimens as the control Results:Telomerase activity was detected at 5625%(9/16) in CIN and no in the control Mean telomerase activity in CIN and the control were (0398±0293) and (0039±0048), respectively, suggesting that the levels of telomerase activity in CIN were significantly higher than in control (P001) But there was no statistically significant difference among the grade of CIN Conclusion: The activation of telomerase is an early event and may play an important role during cervical carcinogenesis and progression It may be used as a tumor biomarker, helpful for the differential diagnosis and evaluation of recurrence of cervical cancer