TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN PROSTATE-CANCER, PROSTATIC INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA, AND BENIGN PROSTATIC EPITHELIUM

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes telomeric DNA on ch romosomal ends, Telomerase activation has been seen in many immortal c ell lines and cancers, Telomerase activity was analyzed in prostate ca rcinoma; in coexistent prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), beni gn prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), atrophy and normal tissue; and in beni gn prostate glands, Telomerase activity was detected in 80 of 87 (92%) prostate cancers, Forty-one matched samples (from a total of 32 cases ) were available for comparative analysis, The presence of telomerase activity in adjacent PIN, BPH, and normal tissue was correlated with t elomerase activity in the malignant epithelium. In these adjacent tiss ues, telomerase activity was found in 11 of 15 (73%) PINs, 13 of 26 (5 0%) BPHs, and 1 of 6 (16%) atrophy and 4 of 11 (36%) normal tissues, I n contrast to the BPH tissue from cancer-bearing glands, all 16 BPH sp ecimens from patients only diagnosed with BPH were telomerase activity negative, In cancer samples, there was no correlation between telomer ase activity and Gleason grade or preoperation prostate-specific antig en level, Our data indicate that telomerase activity is present in mos t prostate cancers. The high rate of telomerase activity in the benign -appearing areas of these glands may be attributed either to the prese nce of occult cancer cells or to early molecular alterations of cancer that were histologically inapparent.