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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Utilizing Murine Inducible Telomerase Alleles in the Studies of Tissue Degeneration/Regeneration and Cancer
Published on: April 13, 2015
Telomerase activity is a prognostic factor for recurrence and survival in rectal cancer
Cristina Valls Bautista1, Carme Piñol Felis, Josep M Reñé Espinet
1Department of Medicine, Medical School, Lleida University, Lleida, Spain.
Purpose:
This study was designed to determine whether telomerase activity measured in samples of tumoral tissue, transitional mucosa, and normal mucosa from patients with sporadic colorectal cancer is a prognostic factor for recurrence and overall survival.
Methods:
Telomerase activity was determined by fluorescence-based telomeric repeat amplification in tissue samples from 108 patients with sporadic colorectal cancer. A telomerase index was determined by using the formula log (telomerase activity of cancer tissue - telomerase activity of normal mucosa).
Results:
Mean telomerase activity in tumoral tissue was 11.49 (total product generated), in transitional mucosa it was 1.51, and in normal mucosa it was 1.09 (P < 0.001). Telomerase activity and telomerase index were not correlated with clinicopathologic factors. Rectal cancer patients' recurrence-free survival was related to N classification (P = 0.004) and to tumor-node-metastases stage classification (P = 0.023) and telomerase index 0.85 (P = 0.023). Overall survival was associated with N classification (positive/negative) and telomerase index (=0.85 or >0.85; P = 0.018 and P = 0.011, respectively).
Conclusions:
Measurement of telomerase activity has a diagnostic value in colorectal patients. In rectal cancer, telomerase index is an independent prognostic factor for disease progression. A telomerase index=0.85 and negative nodes can be used to predict disease progression.
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