BACKGROUND: Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that plays an important role in cell immortalization and carcinogenesis. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a fundamental step in the process of breast cancer metastasis and is recognized as an important prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Using a PCR-based assay, telomerase activity was determined in 34 prospectively collected infiltrating breast carcinomas. Adjacent sections of the specimens were examined histologically by two experienced breast pathologists using light microscopy and haematoxylin & eosin staining. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was detected in 24 (71%) of 34 breast tumours. Two (20%) of 10 telomerase-negative tumours had LVI compared with 14 (58.3%) of 24 telomerase-positive tumours. This association was statistically significant (P<0.05). Telomerase activity was also significantly associated with nodal metastases but not with tumour grade, tumour size or menopausal status. CONCLUSIONS: Telomerase reactivation is significantly associated with LVI in breast cancer and may reflect the metastatic potential of the disease.
BACKGROUND: Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that plays an important role in cell immortalization and carcinogenesis. Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a fundamental step in the process of breast cancer metastasis and is recognized as an important prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Using a PCR-based assay, telomerase activity was determined in 34 prospectively collected infiltrating breast carcinomas. Adjacent sections of the specimens were examined histologically by two experienced breast pathologists using light microscopy and haematoxylin & eosin staining. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was detected in 24 (71%) of 34 breast tumours. Two (20%) of 10 telomerase-negative tumours had LVI compared with 14 (58.3%) of 24 telomerase-positive tumours. This association was statistically significant (P<0.05). Telomerase activity was also significantly associated with nodal metastases but not with tumour grade, tumour size or menopausal status. CONCLUSIONS: Telomerase reactivation is significantly associated with LVI in breast cancer and may reflect the metastatic potential of the disease.
Authors: Sabine A S Langie; Gudrun Koppen; Daniel Desaulniers; Fahd Al-Mulla; Rabeah Al-Temaimi; Amedeo Amedei; Amaya Azqueta; William H Bisson; Dustin G Brown; Gunnar Brunborg; Amelia K Charles; Tao Chen; Annamaria Colacci; Firouz Darroudi; Stefano Forte; Laetitia Gonzalez; Roslida A Hamid; Lisbeth E Knudsen; Luc Leyns; Adela Lopez de Cerain Salsamendi; Lorenzo Memeo; Chiara Mondello; Carmel Mothersill; Ann-Karin Olsen; Sofia Pavanello; Jayadev Raju; Emilio Rojas; Rabindra Roy; Elizabeth P Ryan; Patricia Ostrosky-Wegman; Hosni K Salem; A Ivana Scovassi; Neetu Singh; Monica Vaccari; Frederik J Van Schooten; Mahara Valverde; Jordan Woodrick; Luoping Zhang; Nik van Larebeke; Micheline Kirsch-Volders; Andrew R Collins Journal: Carcinogenesis Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 4.944
Authors: Rakesh K Singh; Michelle L Varney; Cheryl Leutzinger; Julie M Vose; Philip J Bierman; Suleyman Buyukberber; Kazuhiko Ino; Kevin Loh; Craig Nichols; David Inwards; Robert Rifkin; James E Talmadge Journal: Int Immunopharmacol Date: 2007-04-20 Impact factor: 4.932