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Prediction of clinical course of diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas from telomerase expression and quantitated
Takao Fukushima1, Atsuo Yoshino, Yoichi Katayama
1Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi-Kamimachi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan.
Abstract:
Telomerase, one of the reverse transcriptases that extend telomere length, has been suggested to facilitate tumorigenesis and tumor immortality. Little is yet known, however, concerning the clinical significance of telomerase expression in brain tumors. We found in the present study that telomerase expression may contribute to malignant progression and can be an important indicator of high grade diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas, and its quantitated activity level reflects their growth potential. Telomerase expression and its quantitated activity level are also a good predictor of clinical course as compared with other biological markers and clinical factors.