Clinical significance of telomerase activation and telomeric restriction fragment (TRF) in cervical cancer

Telomerase activation was examined in 50 cases of cervical cancer, 27 norma l cervix and five cervical cancer cell lines using the sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based TRTP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomeric restriction fragment (TRF) length of these specimens was m easured by Southern hybridisation. Telomerase activation was common in cerv ical cancers and was detected in 46/50 cases (92%). Telomerase activity was weak in normal cervix and was detected only in 2/27 cases (7.4%). Telomera se activity was detected in all stages of cervical cancer suggesting that i t is an early event in cancer progression. The clinical significance of tel omerase activation was analysed In 47 squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix , Nigh telomerase activity was more frequently detected in advanced disease s (100% in stage III and stage IV cervical cancers combined) compared with early diseases (68.6% in stage I and stage II cancers combined). The differ ence was statistically significant (P < 0.02). Telomerase activity was not statistically correlated with other clinical parameters examined. This is t he first report of telomeric length in human cervical cancer. Both shorteni ng and elongation of TRF length in cervical cancers was observed. Advanced cervical cancers tended to have a wider range of variation of TRF length co mpared with early disease and normal cervix. There was no obvious relations hip between TRF length and the clinical parameters examined including clini cal staging, differentiation status of tumour, human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, recurrence rate, tumour size and invasion depth. The clinical si gnificance of TRF length appears to be limited in cervical cancers. Our res ults indicate that telomerase activity is closely associated with tumour ce lls and may be useful as a marker for detection of tumour cells in cervical biopsies. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.