BACKGROUNDTo investigate the diagnostic significance of detection of telomerase activity of bronchoalveolar lavage liquid (BALF) in primary lung cancer.

METHODSBALF of 63 patients with lung cancer and 31 patients with non-cancerous pulmonary disease was collected, and telomerase activity was detected with silver-stained TRAP. Brush cytology and BALF cytology were carried out simultaneously.

RESULTSThe positive rate of telomerase was 76.2% (48/63) in lung cancer group, which was higher than 6.5% (2/31) in control group (Chi-square=40.6, P < 0.01). The positive rate was also higher than that of brush cytology (58.7%, 37/63) (Chi-square =3.6, P > 0.05), and higher than that of BALF cytology (14.3%, 9/63) (Chi-square=46.3, P < 0.01). In central type lung cancer group, the positive rate of telomerase was 71.4% (35/49), and higher than that of BALF cytology (12.2%, 6/49) (Chi-square= 35.3 , P < 0.01), but had no significant difference compared to that of brush cytology (61.2%, 30/49) (Chi-square=1.1, P > 0.05). In peripheral-type lung cancer group, the positive rate of telomerase in BALF was 92.9% (13/14), and higher than that of brush cytology (50.0%, 7/14) and that of BALF cytology (21.4%, 3/14).

CONCLUSIONSThe telomerase activity could be detected in the BALF of the primary lung cancer. Hence, detection of telomerase in the BALF of patients may be helpful to diagnose lung cancer.