BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the clinical significance of telomerase activity in lung cancer and to investigate the possibility of telomerase as cancer marker for lung cancer.

METHODSThe activity of telomerase was investigated by TRAP-PCR-ELISA in lung cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent noncancerous tissues obtained from resected specimens of 48 patients with lung cancer and 42 specimens of benign pulmonary lesions were examined simultaneously.

RESULTSTelomerase activity was detected in 42 (87.5%) of the 48 tumors and only 4 (8.3%) of the 48 adjacent noncancerous lung tissue samples (Chi-Square=13.029, P < 0.01), but in none of 42 specimens of benign pulmonary lesions (Chi-Square=14.016, P < 0.01). Correlation with pathological parameters showed that the expression of telomerase activity was associated with lymph node metastasis (93.5% vs 76.4% , Chi-Square=63.511, P < 0.01), but not with histological type, location and differenciated grade of tumor.

CONCLUSIONSTelomerase activation correlates with the carcinogenesis and aggressiveness of lung cancer. Telomerase might be one of the important diagnostic and prognostic factors in patients with lung cancer.