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Telomerase activation in cervical neoplasia
T Iwasaka1, P S Zheng, M Yokoyama
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saga Medical School, Japan. iwasaka@post.saga-med.ac.jp
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|February 20, 1998
Summary
Telomerase activation is an early event in cervical cancer development. This enzyme
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Gynecology
Background:
- Cervical cancer arises from progressive cellular changes.
- Telomerase plays a role in cellular immortalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine when telomerase activation occurs during cervical carcinogenesis.
- To correlate telomerase activity with cervical lesion grade.
Main Methods:
- Telomeric repeat assay used to measure telomerase activity.
- Analyzed samples from 155 Japanese women with normal cytology, CIN, or invasive cervical cancer.
Main Results:
- Telomerase activity increased with lesion severity: 8% in normal, 41% in CIN, and 97% in invasive cancer.
- Activation was significantly higher in CIN than normal cervices (P < .001).
- Rate in CIN III was higher than CIN I/II, and in invasive cancer higher than CIN III (P < .01).
Conclusions:
- Telomerase activation is an early event in cervical carcinogenesis.
- Telomerase activity correlates with the grade of cervical lesions.