Zheng Xi, Wezel Felix, Azoitei Anca, Meessen Sabine, Wang Wenya, Najjar Gregoire, Wang Xue, Kraus Johann M, Kestler Hans A, John Axel, Zengerling Friedemann, Bolenz Christian, Günes Cagatay
Department of Urology, Ulm University Hospital, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
Institute of Medical Systems Biology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jul 27;13(15):3774. doi: 10.3390/cancers13153774.
Telomeres are protein-DNA complexes at the tips of linear chromosomes. They protect the DNA from end-to-end fusion and exonucleolytic degradation. Shortening of telomeric DNA during aging can generate dysfunctional telomeres, promoting tumorigenesis. More recent data indicate that both short and long telomeres of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) cells can serve as prognostic biomarkers for cancer risk and may be associated with survival of patients with solid cancers. Telomere length in PBL cells could also be a potential prognostic biomarker for survival in bladder cancer (BC) or renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
The relative telomere length (RTL) of PBL cells was assessed in patients with BC ( = 144) and RCC ( = 144) by using qPCR. A control population of patients without malignant disease (NC, = 73) was included for comparison. The correlation and association of RTL with histopathological parameters and overall survival (OS) were evaluated.
Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to patients without malignant disease. Within the cancer cohorts, multivariate analysis revealed that short RTL is an independent predictor of worse survival in BC ( = 0.039) and RCC ( = 0.041).
Patients with BC and RCC had significantly shorter telomeres compared to the normal population. Shorter RTL in BC and RCC was an independent predictor of reduced survival.
端粒是线性染色体末端的蛋白质 - DNA 复合物。它们保护 DNA 免受端对端融合和核酸外切酶降解。衰老过程中端粒 DNA 的缩短会产生功能失调的端粒，促进肿瘤发生。最新数据表明，外周血白细胞（PBL）细胞的短端粒和长端粒都可作为癌症风险的预后生物标志物，并且可能与实体癌患者的生存相关。PBL 细胞中的端粒长度也可能是膀胱癌（BC）或肾细胞癌（RCC）患者生存的潜在预后生物标志物。
通过定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）评估 BC 患者（n = 144）和 RCC 患者（n = 144）的 PBL 细胞相对端粒长度（RTL）。纳入无恶性疾病的患者作为对照人群（NC，n = 73）进行比较。评估 RTL 与组织病理学参数和总生存期（OS）的相关性及关联性。
与无恶性疾病的患者相比，BC 和 RCC 患者的端粒明显更短。在癌症队列中，多因素分析显示，短 RTL 是 BC 患者（P = 0.039）和 RCC 患者（P = 0.041）生存较差的独立预测因素。
与正常人群相比，BC 和 RCC 患者端粒明显更短。BC 和 RCC 患者中较短的 RTL 是生存降低的独立预测因素。
