Prognostic Implication of Telomerase Activity in Patients with Brain Tumors.
10.3346/jkms.2006.21.1.126
- Author:
Choong Hyun KIM
1
;
Jin Hwan CHEONG
;
Koang Hum BAK
;
Jae Min KIM
;
Suck Jun OH
Author Information
1. Department of Neurosurgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kch5142@hanyang.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Brain Neoplasms;
Glioma;
Survival;
Telomerase
- MeSH:
Adolescent;
Adult;
Aged;
Brain Neoplasms/enzymology/genetics/*pathology;
Child;
Child, Preschool;
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods;
Female;
Humans;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods;
Prognosis;
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't;
Survival Analysis;
Telomerase/genetics/*metabolism
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2006;21(1):126-130
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Telomerase adds telomeric repeats to the ends of telomeres to compensate for their progressive loss. A favorable prognosis is associated with low or no telomerase in some tumors. The authors investigated whether telomerase activity is associated with survival of patients with brain tumors. Sixty-two consecutive patients with brain tumors underwent surgery, and their surgical specimens were investigated. The patients were pathologically categorized as group I (aggressive group) and group II (non-aggressive group). Telomerase activity was examined by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. The median time was calculated in association with overall survival and progression-free survival in each group. The significant difference was noted in telomerase activity between high-grade gliomas and lowgrade gliomas (p=0.022). Telomerase activity was significantly associated with the median overall survival and progression-free survival in all tumors of the aggressive group. On the other hand, the median overall survival in the non-aggressive group was not dependent on telomerase activity, while the median progression-free survival was. Our data suggests that telomerase is an important prognostic indicator of survival in patients with brain tumors.
