Exploring the Susceptibility to Multiple Primary Tumors in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

It was demonstrated that differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients may develop multiple primary tumors (MPT) during follow-up. Many studies showed an association between reduced telomere length and cancer phenotype; in particular, the short telomeres were associated with the development of a primary tumor. However, the role of altered telomere length in MPT development has not yet been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlation between a short telomere length in blood leukocytes and the risk of developing MPT in DTC patients.

We retrospectively evaluated 167 DTC patients followed up for a median of 13.6 years. Our control group was represented by 105 healthy subjects without any thyroid disease or present or past history of tumors. Our study groups, age-matched, were evaluated for the relative telomere length measured in leukocytes of peripheral venous blood.

The relative telomere length (RTL) was significantly different in healthy subjects compared to the total group of differentiated thyroid cancer patients [p < 0.0001]. Shorter telomeres length was observed in DTC patients with (n = 32) and without (n = 135) MPT compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0002, respectively). At multivariate analysis, the parameters independently associated with the presence of MPT were RTL [OR: 0.466 (0.226-0.817), p = 0.018] and the familial DTC [OR: 2.949 (1.142-8.466), p = 0.032].

The results of this study suggest a role of the relative telomere length in predicting MPT development in DTC patients. Our results contribute to increasing the knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying MPT development in DTC patients, considering relative telomere length as a possible prognostic marker.