TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN HUMAN LIVER-TISSUES - COMPARISON BETWEEN CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMAS

Telomerase activity was examined in 105 frozen samples from human norm al liver tissues, chronic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Telomerase activity was positive in 28 of 33 HCC tissues regard less of tumor stage or size, Telomerase was expressed in 15 of 18 diff erentiated HCC nodules smaller than 3 cm, HCC tissues from all eight h epatitis B virus positive patients were telomerase positive, while tel omerase activity was not detected in normal liver tissues (0 of 4). We ak telomerase activity was only detected in 1 of 22 nontumor liver tis sues from HCC patients, Interestingly, in 19 of 38 hepatitis tissues a nd 6 of 8 cirrhotic liver tissues from apparently cancer-free patients , very weak telomerase activity was detected, These results indicate t hat the expression of telomerase may play a crucial role in hepatocarc inogenesis.