Telomerase activity in malignant and benign bladder conditions

This study investigated whether the enzyme telomerase is active in bladder tumours, whether there is any correlation between activity and grade, and whether the enzyme is expressed in non-malignant conditions. Fifty-two patients undergoing cystoscopy or TURBT at a district general hospital were included, 25 with current bladder tumours, 13 with previous but no current tumours, and 14 with non-malignant pathology. Specimens were analysed by the telomerase repeat amplification protocol (TRAP assay), a highly-sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay, and a commercially-available ELISA kit. Telomerase activity was detected in 80% of bladder tumours, more frequently in moderate- or poorly-differentiated (93%) than well-differentiated (56%) tumours. Activity was not uniform across individual tumours. Telomerase was also frequently (61%) detected in inflammatory lesions found in patients being followed up for previous bladder tumours, and in two (14%) patients with benign pathologies. In conclusion, telomerase was frequently but not uniformly detected in bladder tumours; its presence was not specific to malignancy. There is a possible correlation between tumour grade and telomerase activity.