TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN BODY CAVITY FLUID AND PERITONEAL WASHINGS IN UTERINE AND OVARIAN-CANCER

The telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay was used to m easure telomerase activity in body cavity fluid from 10 ovarian cancer patients (ascites, 9; pleural fluid, 1), ascites and peritoneal washi ngs from eight uterine corpus cancer patients, and ascites from one wi th cancer of the uterine cervix. Telomerase activity was observed in f ive of six (83.3%) samples with positive cytology, one of four (25%) s amples with suspicious cytology and one of nine (11.1%) samples with n egative cytology. A high level of activity was observed in samples con taining large numbers of blood-cell components, which could be removed without inactivating the telomerase by treating the samples with Nyco denz (N, is(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-5-[N-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl) acetamide] 2,4,6-triiodo-isophtalamide). In two patients with ovarian cancer trea ted with anticancer drugs, 5 and 7 days after treatment, intracellular vacuoles and multinucleation were observed in ascites tumour cells, a nd telomerase activity decreased. At 14 to 21 days after treatment, th e ascites tumour cell morphology was the same as before treatment, and telomerase activity rose once again. The TRAP assay is a sensitive me thod of detecting telomerase in cytological material and may provide a useful adjunct to cytological diagnosis.