G. Ballon et al., Telomerase activity and clinical progression in chronic lymphoproliferative disorders of B-cell lineage, LEUK LYMPH, 41(1-2), 2001, pp. 35
The activation of telomerase, which specifically occurs in neoplastic cells
to avoid telomere attrition at each cell division. is a necessary event in
tumorigenesis. The evidence that telomerase is also present in normal B ce
lls at different levels according to their differentiation and activation s
tate makes the study of telomerase activity in B cell tumors particularly i
nteresting. This review summarizes data concerning telomerase activity in c
hronic lymphoproliferative disorders of B-cell lineage (B-CLD), making sugg
estions regarding B-cell development and B-cell tumor histogenesis. The rol
e of telomerase activity as a potential prognostic marker, as well as a tar
get of new antineoplastic strategies is discussed.