Telomerase mRNA detection in serum of patients with prostate cancer.

Telomerase functions as a reverse transcriptase enzyme in the process of telomere synthesis and telomerase activity have been detected in a large part of neoplastic tissues, whereas in normal somatic cells they were low or undetectable. The aim of this study was to investigate the telomerase mRNA detection in the serum of patients with a prostate tumor by using real-time reverse transcription PCR. The results were compared with biological samples obtained by age-matched normal donors and by patients with cardiovascular or metabolic diseases. Our data demonstrated that telomerase mRNA is detectable in the serum of patients with prostate cancer whereas it is not amplifiable in normal donors. This marker, assayed with the molecular method of quantitative PCR in serum, may be useful for diagnosing and monitoring prostate cancer patients.