Telomere length assessment in leukocytes presents potential diagnostic value in patients with breast cancer

Abstract

Abstract.Telomere shortening is associated with cancer development, primarily through the induction of genomic instability. The majority of studies have indicated that individuals with shorter blood telomeres may be at a higher risk of developing various types of cancer. There is increasing evidence that the study of the alterations in telomere length may improve cancer prognosis. The aim of the present study was to verify the use of telomere length parameters in the diagnostics of breast cancer stage. Telomere length was analyzed in the blood leukocytes of 52 patients with breast cancer relative to 47 control subjects using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The effects of stage, grade, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) status were assessed. The current study demonstrated that the average telomeric sequence length was significantly shorter in leukocytes from individuals diagnosed with a more severe stage of breast cancer (T2N1M0) than in leukocytes in the early stages of the disease (T1N0M0) (P=0.0207). Furthermore, the data indicated that telomeres in leukocytes derived from patients with HER2 + breast cancer were significantly longer compared with those with the HER2 -type (P=0.0347). These results suggest that the assessment of telomeres in blood leukocytes may, at least partially, correspond with breast cancer staging and HER2 receptor status.

Mechanisms of breast cancer risk in shift workers: association of telomere shortening with the duration and intensity of night work

“…Our current findings, suggesting that the number of consecutive nights is important in telomere shortening, is interesting in light of previous published data demonstrating increased breast cancer risk only in nurses that had worked a minimum of six consecutive nights for at least 5 years . Thus, while telomere shortening contributes to tumor progression and is generally associated with increased cancer risk , an association with breast cancer risk is inconclusive, as contradicting results on TL and breast cancer risk have been reported . In line with several previous studies , we here observed no differences in TL in cases and controls and no association with breast cancer risk when disregarding night work.…”

“…Thus, while telomere shortening contributes to tumor progression and is generally associated with increased cancer risk , an association with breast cancer risk is inconclusive, as contradicting results on TL and breast cancer risk have been reported . In line with several previous studies , we here observed no differences in TL in cases and controls and no association with breast cancer risk when disregarding night work. However, when evaluating the TL in cases and controls working night shifts, significantly shorter TLs were observed in cases than controls working four consecutive night shifts for more than 5 years.…”

“…While some studies report telomere shortening in breast cancer , others report increased breast cancer risk with longer telomeres , and yet other studies observe no association between TL and breast cancer risk . However, telomere shortening in breast cancer patients is correlated with severity of breast cancer stage and aggressiveness of breast cancer cell phenotype . Moreover, an association between hereditary breast cancer and telomere shortening has been suggested , but has not been supported by other studies.…”

“…Telomere shortening is generally associated with increased cancer risk; however, data on TL and breast cancer risk are inconclusive. While some studies report telomere shortening in breast cancer [23,24], others report increased breast cancer risk with longer telomeres [25], and yet other studies observe no association between TL and breast cancer risk [26][27][28]. However, telomere shortening in breast cancer patients is correlated with severity of breast cancer stage and aggressiveness of breast cancer cell phenotype [24,27,29,30].…”

Short telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes in head and neck cancer: Findings in a Brazilian cohort

“…9-12,18,20 Short LTL associated with an increased risk of developing oral premalignant lesions (OPL) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), suggesting that patients with OPL and short LTL have an increased risk to progress to OSCC. 22 By contrast, in two other studies, 20,23 the TL was shorter in leukocytes from patients with HNSCC compared to healthy controls. 20 It was also suggested that TL influenced the malignant progression of preneoplastic lesions of the oral cavity.…”