Yuto Aoki1,2, Junko Aida3, Youichi Kawano3,4, Ken-Ichi Nakamura3, Naotaka Izumiyama-Shimomura3, Naoshi Ishikawa3, Tomio Arai5, Yoshiharu Nakamura6, Nobuhiko Taniai6, Eiji Uchida6, Kaiyo Takubo3, Toshiyuki Ishiwata7. 1. Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan. yutoaoki@nms.ac.jp. 2. Research Team for Geriatric Pathology and Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. yutoaoki@nms.ac.jp. 3. Research Team for Geriatric Pathology and Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. 4. Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School Chiba Hokusoh Hospital, Chiba, Japan. 5. Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan. 7. Research Team for Geriatric Pathology and Department of Pathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan. tishiwat@tmig.or.jp.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) is a congenital malformation involving both dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct and pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Persistent reflux of pancreatic juice injures the biliary tract mucosa, resulting in chronic inflammation and higher rates of carcinogenesis in the biliary tract, including the gallbladder. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes. Chromosomal instability due to telomere dysfunction plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of many organs. This study was performed to determine whether excessive shortening of telomeres occurs in the gallbladder mucosa of patients with CBD. METHODS: Resected gallbladders were obtained from 17 patients with CBD, ten patients with cholecystolithiasis without pancreatic juice reflux, and 17 patients with normal gallbladders (controls) (median age of each group of patients: 37, 50, and 53 years, respectively). The telomere lengths of the gallbladder epithelium were measured by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization using tissue sections, and the normalized telomere-to-centromere ratio (NTCR) was calculated. RESULTS: The NTCRs in the CBD, cholecystolithiasis, and control groups were 1.24 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.125-1.52], 1.96 (IQR 1.56-2.295), and 1.77 (IQR 1.48-2.53), respectively. The NTCR in the CBD group was significantly smaller than that in the cholecystolithiasis and control groups (p = 0.003 and 0.004, respectively), even in young patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that telomere shortening in the gallbladder mucosa plays an important role in the process of carcinogenesis in patients with CBD. These results support the recommendation of established guidelines for prophylactic surgery in patients with CBD because CBD is a premalignant condition with excessive telomere shortening.
BACKGROUND:Congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) is a congenital malformation involving both dilatation of the extrahepatic bile duct and pancreaticobiliary maljunction. Persistent reflux of pancreatic juice injures the biliary tract mucosa, resulting in chronic inflammation and higher rates of carcinogenesis in the biliary tract, including the gallbladder. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromosomes. Chromosomal instability due to telomere dysfunction plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of many organs. This study was performed to determine whether excessive shortening of telomeres occurs in the gallbladder mucosa of patients with CBD. METHODS: Resected gallbladders were obtained from 17 patients with CBD, ten patients with cholecystolithiasis without pancreatic juice reflux, and 17 patients with normal gallbladders (controls) (median age of each group of patients: 37, 50, and 53 years, respectively). The telomere lengths of the gallbladder epithelium were measured by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization using tissue sections, and the normalized telomere-to-centromere ratio (NTCR) was calculated. RESULTS: The NTCRs in the CBD, cholecystolithiasis, and control groups were 1.24 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.125-1.52], 1.96 (IQR 1.56-2.295), and 1.77 (IQR 1.48-2.53), respectively. The NTCR in the CBD group was significantly smaller than that in the cholecystolithiasis and control groups (p = 0.003 and 0.004, respectively), even in young patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that telomere shortening in the gallbladder mucosa plays an important role in the process of carcinogenesis in patients with CBD. These results support the recommendation of established guidelines for prophylactic surgery in patients with CBD because CBD is a premalignant condition with excessive telomere shortening.