Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026
Transoral Robotic Total Thyroidectomy and Bilateral Central Regional Lymph Node Dissection for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Published on: September 15, 2023
Leukocyte Telomere Length and Risk of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Ji Li1,2, Changming An3, Haitao Zheng4
1School of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Jinan-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Context:
Telomere length may contribute to predisposition to papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).
Objective:
To test this hypothesis, we examined the association between leukocyte telomere length and PTC risk.
Design/Setting:
Case-control study in a Chinese Han population.
Participants/Intervention:
A total of 1200 PTC cases and 1201 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. ORs and 95% CIs were calculated by logistic regression.
Results:
Short relative telomere length (RTL) was significantly associated with elevated risk of PTC (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.35 to 1.92; P = 1.30 × 10-7). Interestingly, when individuals were categorized into four groups on the basis of quartile distribution of relative telomere length (RTL) in controls, we observed a reverse U-shaped association between telomere length and PTC risk. Compared with those in the first (the longest) quartile as the reference group, ORs (95% CIs) were 5.61 (4.04 to 7.78) (P = 6.10 × 10-25), 9.33 (6.78 to 12.83) (P = 6.99 × 10-43), and 1.23 (0.83 to 1.81) (P = 0.300) for individuals in the second, third, and fourth (the shortest) quartiles, respectively. This reverse U-shaped relationship was more apparent in younger individuals.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that RTL is significantly associated with susceptibility to PTC. There is an obvious reverse U-shaped association between telomere length and PTC risk. Telomere length may be a potential pronouncing biomarker to identify individuals with a high risk of developing PTC.
Related Concept Videos
02:41Telomeres and Telomerase
02:41Telomeres and Telomerase
01:11Papillary Dermis
The dermis might be considered the "core" of the integumentary system, as distinct from the epidermis and hypodermis. It contains blood and lymph vessels, nerves, and other structures, such as hair follicles and sweat glands. The dermis is made of two layers of connective tissue that comprise an interconnected mesh of elastin and collagenous fibers, produced by fibroblasts.
Papillary Layer
The papillary layer is made of loose, areolar connective tissue, which means the collagen...
01:23The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
01:12Relative Risk
01:30Classification of Leukocytes
Neutrophils are the most abundant type of granular leukocytes, comprising 50-70% of all leukocytes. They feature small, evenly distributed granules and a...