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Sun P, Wei P, Liu H, Wu J, Gross ND, Sikora AG, Wei Q, Shete S, Zafereo ME, Liu J, Li G. GWAS-identified telomere length associated genetic variants predict risk of recurrence of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer after definitive radiotherapy. EBioMedicine 2023; 94:104722. [PMID: 37487414 PMCID: PMC10382868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphocyte telomere length (LTL)-related genetic variants may modulate LTL and affect recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (SCCOP). METHODS A total of 1013 patients with incident SCCOP were recruited and genotyped for 16 genome-wide association study (GWAS)-identified TL-related polymorphisms. Of these patients, 489 had tumour HPV16 status determination. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate associations. FINDINGS Of the 16 TL-related polymorphisms, four were significantly associated with LTL: rs1920116, rs3027234, rs6772228, and rs11125529, and the patients with putatively favourable genotypes had approximately 1.5-3 times the likelihood of shorter LTL compared with patients with the corresponding risk genotypes. Moreover, patients with one to four favourable genotypes of the four combined polymorphisms had approximately 3-11 times the likelihood of shorter LTL compared with patients with no favourable genotype. The four LTL-related polymorphisms were significantly associated with approximately 40% reduced risk (for favourable genotypes) or doubled risk (for risk genotypes) of recurrence, and similar but more pronounced associations were observed in patients with tumour HPV16-positive SCCOP. Similarly, patients with one to four risk genotypes had significantly approximately 2.5-4 times increased recurrence risk compared with patients with no risk genotype, and similar but more pronounced associations were observed in patients with tumour HPV16-positive SCCOP. INTERPRETATION Four LTL-related polymorphisms individually or jointly modify LTL and risk of recurrence of SCCOP, particularly HPV-positive SCCOP. These LTL-related polymorphisms could have potential to further stratify patients with HPV-positive SCCOP for individualized treatment and better survival. FUNDING Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Sun
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Peng Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hongliang Liu
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jia Wu
- Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Neil D Gross
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Andrew G Sikora
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Qingyi Wei
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Sanjay Shete
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mark E Zafereo
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jisheng Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Guojun Li
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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2
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Tomasova K, Kroupa M, Zinkova A, Korabecna M, Vymetalkova V, Skrobanek P, Sojka L, Levy M, Hemminki K, Liska V, Hosek P, Kumar R, Vodickova L, Vodicka P. Monitoring of telomere dynamics in peripheral blood leukocytes in relation to colorectal cancer patients’ outcomes. Front Oncol 2022; 12:962929. [PMID: 36203452 PMCID: PMC9530927 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.962929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the possible associations between leukocyte telomere length, therapy outcomes, and clinicopathological features in patients with colorectal cancer. Additionally, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression was evaluated. Telomere length was measured using singleplex qPCR in 478 consecutive leukocyte DNA samples from 198 patients. Blood was drawn at diagnosis prior to any therapy and then at 6-month intervals for 18 months. Following diagnosis, the telomeres gradually shortened during the course of the treatment regardless of the patient’s age. The most pronounced decrease was observed 12 months after the diagnosis (p < 0.0001). Based on tumor localization, the decrease in telomere length one year after the diagnosis followed different trajectories (p = 0.03). In patients treated with adjuvant therapy, telomere length correlated with the time elapsed after completion of therapy (p = 0.03). TERT expression did not correlate with the telomere length; however, it was higher in women than men (1.35-fold, 95% CI 1.11–1.65, p = 0.003) and in smokers than non-smokers (1.27-fold, 95% CI 1.01–1.61, p = 0.04). Leukocyte telomere length declines naturally during aging, but the accelerated shortening observed in our patients was age-independent. Telomere length manifestly reflected chemotherapy impact and could be linked to therapy toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyna Tomasova
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Kristyna Tomasova,
| | - Michal Kroupa
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
| | - Alzbeta Zinkova
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Marie Korabecna
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Veronika Vymetalkova
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Pavel Skrobanek
- Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Ladislav Sojka
- Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles Univesity and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Miroslav Levy
- Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles Univesity and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czechia
| | - Kari Hemminki
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Vaclav Liska
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- Department of Surgery, Medical Faculty in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
| | - Petr Hosek
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of the Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czechia
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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3
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Lázničková P, Bendíčková K, Kepák T, Frič J. Immunosenescence in Childhood Cancer Survivors and in Elderly: A Comparison and Implication for Risk Stratification. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 2:708788. [PMID: 35822014 PMCID: PMC9261368 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2021.708788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The population of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) has grown rapidly in recent decades. Although cured of their original malignancy, these individuals are at increased risk of serious late effects, including age-associated complications. An impaired immune system has been linked to the emergence of these conditions in the elderly and CCS, likely due to senescent immune cell phenotypes accompanied by low-grade inflammation, which in the elderly is known as "inflammaging." Whether these observations in the elderly and CCS are underpinned by similar mechanisms is unclear. If so, existing knowledge on immunosenescent phenotypes and inflammaging might potentially serve to benefit CCS. We summarize recent findings on the immune changes in CCS and the elderly, and highlight the similarities and identify areas for future research. Improving our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and immunosenescent markers of accelerated immune aging might help us to identify individuals at increased risk of serious health complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Lázničková
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Bendíčková
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kepák
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Frič
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague, Czech Republic
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4
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Targeting Telomere Biology in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22136653. [PMID: 34206297 PMCID: PMC8268026 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased cell proliferation is a hallmark of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and genetic alterations driving clonal proliferation have been identified as prognostic factors. To evaluate replicative history and its potential prognostic value, we determined telomere length (TL) in lymphoblasts, B-, and T-lymphocytes, and measured telomerase activity (TA) in leukocytes of patients with ALL. In addition, we evaluated the potential to suppress the in vitro growth of B-ALL cells by the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat. We found a significantly lower TL in lymphoblasts (4.3 kb in pediatric and 2.3 kb in adult patients with ALL) compared to B- and T-lymphocytes (8.0 kb and 8.2 kb in pediatric, and 6.4 kb and 5.5 kb in adult patients with ALL). TA in leukocytes was 3.2 TA/C for pediatric and 0.7 TA/C for adult patients. Notably, patients with high-risk pediatric ALL had a significantly higher TA of 6.6 TA/C compared to non-high-risk patients with 2.2 TA/C. The inhibition of telomerase with imetelstat ex vivo led to significant dose-dependent apoptosis of B-ALL cells. These results suggest that TL reflects clonal expansion and indicate that elevated TA correlates with high-risk pediatric ALL. In addition, telomerase inhibition induces apoptosis of B-ALL cells cultured in vitro. TL and TA might complement established markers for the identification of patients with high-risk ALL. Moreover, TA seems to be an effective therapeutic target; hence, telomerase inhibitors, such as imetelstat, may augment standard ALL treatment.
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5
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Williams AM, Cole PD. Biomarkers of Cognitive Impairment in Pediatric Cancer Survivors. J Clin Oncol 2021; 39:1766-1774. [PMID: 33886369 DOI: 10.1200/jco.20.02436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- AnnaLynn M Williams
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Peter D Cole
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ
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6
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Song N, Li Z, Qin N, Howell CR, Wilson CL, Easton J, Mulder HL, Edmonson MN, Rusch MC, Zhang J, Hudson MM, Yasui Y, Robison LL, Ness KK, Wang Z. Shortened Leukocyte Telomere Length Associates with an Increased Prevalence of Chronic Health Conditions among Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:2362-2371. [PMID: 31969337 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-2503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to analyze and compare leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and age-dependent LTL attrition between childhood cancer survivors and noncancer controls, and to evaluate the associations of LTL with treatment exposures, chronic health conditions (CHC), and health behaviors among survivors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We included 2,427 survivors and 293 noncancer controls of European ancestry, drawn from the participants in St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE), a retrospective hospital-based study with prospective follow-up (2007-2016). Common nonneoplastic CHCs (59 types) and subsequent malignant neoplasms (5 types) were clinically assessed. LTL was measured with whole-genome sequencing data. RESULTS After adjusting for age at DNA sampling, gender, genetic risk score based on 9 SNPs known to be associated with telomere length, and eigenvectors, LTL among survivors was significantly shorter both overall [adjusted mean (AM) = 6.20 kb; SE = 0.03 kb] and across diagnoses than controls (AM = 6.69 kb; SE = 0.07 kb). Among survivors, specific treatment exposures associated with shorter LTL included chest or abdominal irradiation, glucocorticoid, and vincristine chemotherapies. Significant negative associations of LTL with 14 different CHCs, and a positive association with subsequent thyroid cancer occurring out of irradiation field were identified. Health behaviors were significantly associated with LTL among survivors aged 18 to 35 years (P trend = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS LTL is significantly shorter among childhood cancer survivors than noncancer controls, and is associated with CHCs and health behaviors, suggesting LTL as an aging biomarker may be a potential mechanistic target for future intervention studies designed to prevent or delay onset of CHCs in childhood cancer survivors.See related commentary by Walsh, p. 2281.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Song
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zhenghong Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Na Qin
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Carrie R Howell
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Carmen L Wilson
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - John Easton
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Heather L Mulder
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Michael N Edmonson
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Michael C Rusch
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Melissa M Hudson
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.,Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yutaka Yasui
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Leslie L Robison
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kirsten K Ness
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zhaoming Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. .,Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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7
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Ackermann S, Fischer M. Telomere Maintenance in Pediatric Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E5836. [PMID: 31757062 PMCID: PMC6928840 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20235836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomere length has been proposed as a biomarker of biological age and a risk factor for age-related diseases and cancer. Substantial progress has been made in recent decades in understanding the complex molecular relationships in this research field. However, the majority of telomere studies have been conducted in adults. The data on telomere dynamics in pediatric cancers is limited, and interpretation can be challenging, especially in cases where results are contrasting to those in adult entities. This review describes recent advances in the molecular characterization of structure and function of telomeres, regulation of telomerase activity in cancer pathogenesis in general, and highlights the key advances that have expanded our views on telomere biology in pediatric cancer, with special emphasis on the central role of telomere maintenance in neuroblastoma. Furthermore, open questions in the field of telomere maintenance research are discussed in the context of recently published literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Ackermann
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children’s Hospital of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Straße 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children’s Hospital of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Straße 21, 50931 Cologne, Germany
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8
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Gallicchio L, Gadalla SM, Murphy JD, Simonds NI. The Effect of Cancer Treatments on Telomere Length: A Systematic Review of the Literature. J Natl Cancer Inst 2019; 110:1048-1058. [PMID: 30272225 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djy189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It has been hypothesized that cancer treatments cause accelerated aging through a mechanism involving the shortening of telomeres. However, the effect of cancer treatments on telomere length is unclear. Methods We systematically reviewed the epidemiological evidence evaluating the associations between cancer treatment and changes in telomere length. Searches were performed in PubMed for the period of January 1966 through November 2016 using the following search strategy: telomere AND (cancer OR tumor OR carcinoma OR neoplasm) AND (survivor OR patient). Data were extracted and the quality of studies was assessed. Results A total of 25 studies were included in this review. Ten were solid cancer studies, 11 were hematological malignancy studies, and 4 included a mixed sample of both solid and hematological cancers. Three of the 10 solid tumor studies reported a statistically significant association between cancer treatment and telomere length shortening, and one reported longer telomere length after treatment. Among the hematological cancer studies, three showed statistically significant decreases in telomere length with treatment, and two showed elongation. When these studies were rated using quality criteria, most of the studies were judged to be of moderate quality. Conclusions The findings from this review indicate that the effect of cancer treatment on telomere length may differ by cancer type and treatment as well as other factors. Definitive conclusions cannot be made based on the published literature, because sample sizes tended to be small; treatments, cancer types, and biospecimens were heterogenous; and the length of follow-up times differed greatly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Gallicchio
- Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville
| | - Shahinaz M Gadalla
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville
| | - John D Murphy
- Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville
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9
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Dalmasso B, Hatse S, Brouwers B, Laenen A, Berben L, Kenis C, Smeets A, Neven P, Schöffski P, Wildiers H. Age-related microRNAs in older breast cancer patients: biomarker potential and evolution during adjuvant chemotherapy. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:1014. [PMID: 30348127 PMCID: PMC6196565 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-4920-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of cellular function and have been associated with both aging and cancer, but the impact of chemotherapy on age-related miRNAs has barely been studied. Our aim was to examine whether chemotherapy accelerates the aging process in elderly breast cancer patients using miRNA expression profiling. Methods We monitored age-related miRNAs in blood of women, aged 70 or older, receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (docetaxel and cyclophosphamide, TC) for invasive breast cancer (chemo group, CTG, n = 46). A control group of older breast cancer patients without chemotherapy was included for comparison (control group, CG, n = 43). All patients underwent geriatric assessment at inclusion (T0), after 3 months (T1) and 1 year (T2). Moreover, we analysed the serum expression of nine age-related miRNAs (miR-20a, miR-30b, miR-34a, miR-106b, miR-191, miR-301a, miR-320b, miR-374a, miR-378a) at each timepoint. Results Except for miR-106b, which behaved slightly different in CTG compared to CG, all miRNAs showed moderate fluctuations during the study course with no significant differences between groups. Several age-related miRNAs correlated with clinical frailty (miR-106b, miR-191, miR-301a, miR-320b, miR-374a), as well as with other biomarkers of aging, particularly Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) (miR-106b, miR-301a, miR-374a-5p, miR-378a-3p). Moreover, based on their ‘aging miRNA’ profiles, patients clustered into two distinct groups exhibiting significantly different results for several biological/clinical aging parameters. Conclusions These results further corroborate our earlier report, stating that adjuvant TC chemotherapy does not significantly boost aging progression in elderly breast cancer patients. Our findings also endorsed specific age-related miRNAs as promising aging/frailty biomarkers in oncogeriatric populations. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00849758. Registered on 20 February 2009. This clinical trial was registered prospectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Dalmasso
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium. .,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium. .,Genetics of Rare Cancers, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
| | - Sigrid Hatse
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium.,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Barbara Brouwers
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium.,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annouschka Laenen
- Interuniversity Centre for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieze Berben
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium.,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cindy Kenis
- Department of General Medical Oncology and Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ann Smeets
- Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Neven
- Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Schöffski
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium.,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans Wildiers
- Department of Oncology, Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Leuven, KU, Belgium.,Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium
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10
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The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy in older breast cancer patients on clinical and biological aging parameters. Oncotarget 2017; 7:29977-88. [PMID: 27102154 PMCID: PMC5058657 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on biological and clinical markers of aging and frailty. Methods Women ≥ 70 years old with early breast cancer were enrolled after surgery and assigned to a chemotherapy (Docetaxel and Cyclophosphamide) group (CTG, n=57) or control group (CG, n=52) depending on their planned adjuvant treatment. Full geriatric assessment (GA) and Quality of Life (QoL) were evaluated at inclusion (T0), after 3 months (T1) and at 1 year (T2). Blood samples were collected to measure leukocyte telomere length (LTL), levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other circulating markers potentially informative for aging and frailty: Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α), Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Monocyte Chemotactic Protein 1 (MCP-1) and Regulated on Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES). Results LTL decreased significantly but comparably in both groups, whereas IL-6 was unchanged at T2. However, IL-10, TNF-α, IGF-1 and MCP-1 suggested a minor biological aging effect of chemotherapy. Clinical frailty and QoL decreased at T1 in the CTG, but recovered at T2, while remaining stable in the CG. Conclusion Chemotherapy (TC) is unlikely to amplify clinical aging or induce frailty at 1 year. Accordingly, there is no impact on the most established aging biomarkers (LTL, IL-6).
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11
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Cupit-Link MC, Kirkland JL, Ness KK, Armstrong GT, Tchkonia T, LeBrasseur NK, Armenian SH, Ruddy KJ, Hashmi SK. Biology of premature ageing in survivors of cancer. ESMO Open 2017; 2:e000250. [PMID: 29326844 PMCID: PMC5757468 DOI: 10.1136/esmoopen-2017-000250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Over 30 million cancer survivors exist worldwide. Survivors have an earlier onset and higher incidence of chronic comorbidities, including endocrinopathies, cardiac dysfunction, osteoporosis, pulmonary fibrosis, secondary cancers and frailty than the general population; however, the fundamental basis of these changes at the cellular level is unknown. An electronic search was performed on Embase, Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Original articles addressing the cellular biology of ageing and/or the mechanisms of cancer therapies similar to ageing mechanisms were included, and references of these articles were reviewed for further search. We found multiple biological process of ageing at the cellular level and their association with cancer therapies, as well as with clinical effects. The direct effects of various chemotherapies and radiation on telomere length, senescent cells, epigenetic modifications and microRNA were found. We review the effects of cancer therapies on recognised hallmarks of ageing. Long-term comorbidities seen in cancer survivors mimic the phenotypes of ageing and likely result from the interaction between therapeutic exposures and the underlying biology of ageing. Long-term follow-up of cancer survivors and research on prevention strategies should be pursued to increase the length and quality of life among the growing population of cancer survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James L Kirkland
- Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kirsten K Ness
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gregory T Armstrong
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Tamar Tchkonia
- Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nathan K LeBrasseur
- Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Saro H Armenian
- Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Kathryn J Ruddy
- Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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12
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Telomeres are protein DNA structures present at the ends of chromosomes and are essential for genetic stability and cell replication. Telomerase is the enzyme complex that maintains telomere integrity. Hematopoietic stem cells express telomerase and contain long telomeres, which become shorter as cells differentiate and mature. The extent of telomere shortening and the level of telomerase activity often correlate with the presence and severity of some hematopoietic diseases. METHODS The fundamentals of telomeres and telomerase are reviewed, and the telomere biology of human hematopoietic cells is discussed. RESULTS Telomere length and telomerase activity are important in the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells. Changes within these compartments affect both normal hematopoietic cells and the generation of hematopoietic disease. Telomere length provides information pertaining to the proliferative history and potential of a hematopoietic cell. CONCLUSIONS The role of telomerase and telomeres within the hematopoietic compartment needs further clarification. Advances in our knowledge in this field may improve clinical outcomes for the treatment of hematologic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngaire Elwood
- Leukaemia Research Fund Stem Cell Laboratory, Department of Clinical Haematology and Oncology, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
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13
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Hu Q, Chen X, Liu S, Wen R, Yuan X, Xu D, Liu G, Wen F. Methylation of CDKN2B CpG islands is associated with upregulated telomerase activity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Oncol Lett 2017; 13:2115-2120. [PMID: 28454370 PMCID: PMC5403305 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.5710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between methylation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B (CDKN2B) CpG islands and telomerase activity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). A total of 72 children with ALL and 12 children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) were subjected to bone marrow aspiration and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis, and modified telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay analyses, to evaluate CDKN2B methylation and telomerase activity, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that, of these 72 children with ALL, 31 exhibited CDKN2B methylation at diagnosis (43.1%), whereas 41 exhibited no CDKN2B methylation (36.9%). However, no CDKN2B methylation was detected in the ITP controls. Furthermore, the mean level of telomerase activity was 39.52±39.33 total product generated (TPG) units in children with ALL, which was significantly increased compared with 2.49±2.27 TPG units in the ITP controls (P=0.002). The mean levels of telomerase were 49.09±44.43 and 29.99±32.43 TPG units in children with ALL with and without CDKN2B methylation, respectively (P=0.041), therefore children with ALL exhibited significantly increased levels of telomerase. The increased telomerase activity was significantly associated with increased risk of childhood ALL (P=0.023). A total of 22/31 children with ALL with methylated CDKN2B (71.0%) and 17/41 children with ALL with unmethylated CDKN2B (41.46%) exhibited increased telomerase activity (>15 TPG units). The results of the present study suggest that hypermethylation of CDKN2B CpG islands and hyperactivity of telomerase are common events in childhood ALL, and hypermethylation of CDKN2B CpG islands was significantly associated with upregulated telomerase activity (P=0.013).
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Hu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China.,Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Xiaowen Chen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Sixi Liu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Ruiqi Wen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Xiuli Yuan
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Dandan Xu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
| | - Guosheng Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China
| | - Feiqiu Wen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518038, P.R. China
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14
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Paviolo NS, Santiñaque FF, Castrogiovanni DC, Folle GA, Bolzán AD. The methylating agent streptozotocin induces persistent telomere dysfunction in mammalian cells. MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2015; 794:17-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2015.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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15
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Mitchell HR, Lu X, Myers RM, Sung L, Balsamo LM, Carroll WL, Raetz E, Loh ML, Mattano LA, Winick NJ, Devidas M, Hunger SP, Maloney K, Kadan-Lottick NS. Prospective, longitudinal assessment of quality of life in children from diagnosis to 3 months off treatment for standard risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results of Children's Oncology Group study AALL0331. Int J Cancer 2015; 138:332-9. [PMID: 26235006 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Standard risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (SR-ALL) has high cure rates, but requires 2-3 years of therapy. We aimed to (i) prospectively evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during and after SR-ALL therapy, and (ii) identify associated predictors. Parents of 160 SR-ALL patients enrolled on Children's Oncology Group (COG) therapeutic trial AALL0331 at 31 sites completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scales (physical, emotional and social functioning) and Family Assessment Device-General Functioning (FAD-GF) at 1, 6 and 12 months after diagnosis, and 3 months post-therapy. Mean PedsQL scores in physical, emotional and social functioning were impaired 1 month after diagnosis but steadily improved. Three months post-therapy, impaired physical and social functioning was observed in 27.8 and 25.8% of patients, respectively. In repeated-measures analysis, problematic family functioning predicted emotional (OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.03-3.34) and social (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.21-3.27) impairment. Larger household size was associated with social impairment (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.02-1.45). Adverse neurological event(s) during therapy predicted post-therapy physical (OR = 5.17, 95% CI 1.61-16.63) and social (OR = 8.17, 95% CI 1.19-56.16) impairment. HRQOL 1 month after diagnosis was not predictive of HRQOL 3 months after therapy completion. In conclusion, children with SR-ALL experience considerable impairment in HRQOL at the end of induction, but rapidly improve. However, many still experience physical and social impairment 3 months post-therapy, suggesting a role for continued family and physical functioning support. Longer follow-up is needed to determine if post-therapy deficits change over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah-Rose Mitchell
- Department of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Xiaomin Lu
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL
| | - Regina M Myers
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Lillian Sung
- Division of Haematology/Oncology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lyn M Balsamo
- Department of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - William L Carroll
- Pediatric Oncology, Cancer Institute, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Elizabeth Raetz
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, NY
| | - Mignon L Loh
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | | | - Naomi J Winick
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Meenakshi Devidas
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainsville, FL
| | - Stephen P Hunger
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kelly Maloney
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Nina S Kadan-Lottick
- Department of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
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16
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A retrospective examination of mean relative telomere length in the Tasmanian Familial Hematological Malignancies Study. Oncol Rep 2014; 33:25-32. [PMID: 25351806 PMCID: PMC4254675 DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length has a biological link to cancer, with excessive telomere shortening leading to genetic instability and resultant malignant transformation. Telomere length is heritable and genetic variants determining telomere length have been identified. Telomere biology has been implicated in the development of hematological malignancies (HMs), therefore, closer examination of telomere length in HMs may provide further insight into genetic etiology of disease development and support for telomere length as a prognostic factor in HMs. We retrospectively examined mean relative telomere length in the Tasmanian Familial Hematological Malignancies Study using a quantitative PCR method on genomic DNA from peripheral blood samples. Fifty-five familial HM cases, 191 unaffected relatives of familial HM cases and 75 non-familial HM cases were compared with 758 population controls. Variance components modeling was employed to identify factors influencing variation in telomere length. Overall, HM cases had shorter mean relative telomere length (P=2.9×10−6) and this was observed across both familial and non-familial HM cases (P=2.2×10−4 and 2.2×10−5, respectively) as well as additional subgroupings of HM cases according to broad subtypes. Mean relative telomere length was also significantly heritable (62.6%; P=4.7×10−5) in the HM families in the present study. We present new evidence of significantly shorter mean relative telomere length in both familial and non-familial HM cases from the same population adding further support to the potential use of telomere length as a prognostic factor in HMs. Whether telomere shortening is the cause of or the result of HMs is yet to be determined, but as telomere length was found to be highly heritable in our HM families this suggests that genetics driving the variation in telomere length is related to HM disease risk.
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17
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Circulating MicroRNAs as easy-to-measure aging biomarkers in older breast cancer patients: correlation with chronological age but not with fitness/frailty status. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110644. [PMID: 25333486 PMCID: PMC4204997 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) hold great promise as easily accessible biomarkers for diverse (patho)physiological processes, including aging. We have compared miRNA expression profiles in cell-free blood from older versus young breast cancer patients, in order to identify “aging miRNAs” that can be used in the future to monitor the impact of chemotherapy on the patient’s biological age. First, we assessed 175 miRNAs that may possibly be present in serum/plasma in an exploratory screening in 10 young and 10 older patients. The top-15 ranking miRNAs showing differential expression between young and older subjects were further investigated in an independent cohort consisting of another 10 young and 20 older subjects. Plasma levels of miR-20a-3p, miR-30b-5p, miR106b, miR191 and miR-301a were confirmed to show significant age-related decreases (all p≤0.004). The remaining miRNAs included in the validation study (miR-21, miR-210, miR-320b, miR-378, miR-423-5p, let-7d, miR-140-5p, miR-200c, miR-374a, miR376a) all showed similar trends as observed in the exploratory screening but these differences did not reach statistical significance. Interestingly, the age-associated miRNAs did not show differential expression between fit/healthy and non-fit/frail subjects within the older breast cancer cohort of the validation study and thus merit further investigation as true aging markers that not merely reflect frailty.
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18
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Paviolo NS, Castrogiovanni DC, Bolzán AD. The radiomimetic compound streptonigrin induces persistent telomere dysfunction in mammalian cells. Mutat Res 2014; 760:16-23. [PMID: 24406867 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2013.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Revised: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 11/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We analyzed the chromosomal aberrations involving telomeres in the progeny of mammalian cells exposed to the radiomimetic compound streptonigrin (SN) in order to determine if this antineoplastic drug induces long-term telomere instability. To this end, rat cells (ADIPO-P2 cell line, derived from adipose cells from Sprague-Dawley rat) were treated with a single concentration of SN (100ng/ml), and chromosomal aberrations were analyzed 18h and 10 and 15 days after treatment by using PNA-FISH with a pan-telomeric probe [Cy3-(CCCTAA)3] to detect (TTAGGG)n repeats. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a higher frequency of telomere dysfunction-related aberrations (additional telomeric FISH signals, extra-chromosomal telomeric FISH signals, and telomere FISH signal loss and duplications) in SN-exposed cultures vs. untreated cultures at every time points analyzed. The yield of SN-induced aberrations remained very similar at 18h, 10 days as well as 15 days after treatment. Thus, our data demonstrate that SN induces persistent telomere dysfunction in mammalian cells. Moreover, we found that the level of telomerase activity in SN-treated cells was significantly lower (up to 77%) than that of untreated control cells at each time points analyzed. This fact suggests that telomerase could be involved in SN-induced telomere dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia S Paviolo
- Laboratorio de Citogenética y Mutagénesis, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE, CCT-CONICET La Plata-CICPBA), C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel C Castrogiovanni
- Laboratorio de Citogenética y Mutagénesis, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE, CCT-CONICET La Plata-CICPBA), C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandro D Bolzán
- Laboratorio de Citogenética y Mutagénesis, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular (IMBICE, CCT-CONICET La Plata-CICPBA), C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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19
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Diker-Cohen T, Uziel O, Szyper-Kravitz M, Shapira H, Natur A, Lahav M. The effect of chemotherapy on telomere dynamics: clinical results and possible mechanisms. Leuk Lymphoma 2013; 54:2023-9. [PMID: 23240911 DOI: 10.3109/10428194.2012.757765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are the chromosomal end components, and their length in hematopoietic stem cells correlates with the bone marrow proliferative reserve. There are few data regarding telomere dynamics in hematopoietic stem cells after exposure to chemotherapy. We show that the attrition of telomeres after cytotoxic treatment correlates with the intensity of chemotherapy. Using cytotoxic drugs with differential effects on hematopoietic stem cells, our data imply that chemotherapy-induced telomere shortening results from direct damage to hematopoietic stem cells and/or the induction of proliferative stress on bone marrow while sparing repopulating stem cells. These results gain importance considering the current long survival of patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Diker-Cohen
- Medicine A, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah-Tikva, Israel
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20
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Li P, Hou M, Lou F, Björkholm M, Xu D. Telomere dysfunction induced by chemotherapeutic agents and radiation in normal human cells. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2012; 44:1531-40. [PMID: 22728163 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2012.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The number of long-term survivors of patients with various malignancies (>5 years) is increasing mainly owing to advances in cancer therapeutics, but long-term side effects of the cancer treatment in this population have emerged as an important health and socio-economical issue. Telomeres and telomerase are known to be essential for regulation of cellular life-span and maintenance of genomic stability, and earlier studies have demonstrated that cancer patients who receive chemotherapy have shorter telomeres in their blood cells, indicating accelerated telomere erosion and a potential contribution of telomere loss to late side-effects. Little is currently known about the effect of chemotherapeutic agents and radiation on telomere dynamics including potential effects on telomere length, structure, function, telomerase activity, and telomere shelterin proteins in normal human cells. In the present study, we had addressed this issue experimentally. The treatment of normal human T lymphocytes and fibroblasts with chemotherapeutic agents doxorubicin (DOX) or etoposide (VP16) led to significant shortening of telomeres, down-regulation of telomerase activity, and diminished expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and the telomere binding proteins TPP1 and POT1. More importantly, telomere dysfunction was observed in cells treated with DOX or VP16. Furthermore, all the above alterations were similarly found in the cells receiving γ-irradiation. Taken together, both chemotherapy and radiotherapy significantly impair telomere maintenance and function in normal human cells. Conceivably telomere dysfunction causes shortened life-span and genomic instability of normal human cells, and thereby contributes to tissue/organ damage and secondary malignancies in long-term survivors of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Haematology and Centre for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital Solna and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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21
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Cottliar ASH, Panero J, Pedrazzini E, Noriega MF, Narbaitz M, Rodríguez A, Slavutsky I. Analysis of telomere length in mantle cell lymphoma. Eur J Haematol 2009; 83:433-8. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0609.2009.01313.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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22
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Abstract
Telomerase is an attractive cancer target as it appears to be required in essentially all tumours for immortalization of a subset of cells, including cancer stem cells. Moreover, differences in telomerase expression, telomere length and cell kinetics between normal and tumour tissues suggest that targeting telomerase would be relatively safe. Clinical trials are ongoing with a potent and specific telomerase inhibitor, GRN163L, and with several versions of telomerase therapeutic vaccines. The prospect of adding telomerase-based therapies to the growing list of new anticancer products is promising, but what are the advantages and limitations of different approaches, and which patients are the most likely to respond?
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin B Harley
- Geron Corporation, 230 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
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23
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Avigad S, Naumov I, Ohali A, Jeison M, Berco GH, Mardoukh J, Stark B, Ash S, Cohen IJ, Meller I, Kollender Y, Issakov J, Yaniv I. Short telomeres: a novel potential predictor of relapse in Ewing sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res 2007; 13:5777-83. [PMID: 17908968 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-07-0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite advances in therapy, >50% of patients with Ewing sarcoma will relapse. The current prognostic factors are not optimal for risk prediction. Studies have shown that telomere length could predict outcome in different malignancies. Our aim was to evaluate whether telomere length could be a better prognostic factor in Ewing sarcoma and correlate the results with clinical variables, outcome, and chromosomal instability. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Telomere length was determined in the primary tumor and peripheral blood of 32 patients with Ewing sarcoma. Chromosomal instability was evaluated by combining classical cytogenetics, comparative genomic hybridization and random aneuploidy. Telomere length was correlated to clinical variables, chromosomal instability, and outcome. RESULTS In 75% of the tumors, changes in telomere length, when compared with the corresponding peripheral blood lymphocytes, were noted. The majority of changes consisted of a reduction in telomere length. Patients harboring shorter telomeres had a significantly adverse outcome (P = 0.015). Chromosomal instability was identified in 65% of tumors, significantly correlating with short telomeres (P = 0.0094). Using multivariate analysis, telomere length remained the only significant prognostic variable (P = 0.034). Patients with short telomeres had a 5.3-fold risk of relapse as compared to those with unchanged or longer telomeres. CONCLUSION We have shown that tumors with telomere length reduction result in genomic instability. In addition, telomere length reduction was the only significant predictor of outcome. We suggest that reduction of telomere length in tumor cells at diagnosis could serve as a prognostic marker in Ewing sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smadar Avigad
- Molecular Oncology, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.
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24
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Trkova M, Prochazkova K, Krutilkova V, Sumerauer D, Sedlacek Z. Telomere length in peripheral blood cells of germline TP53 mutation carriers is shorter than that of normal individuals of corresponding age. Cancer 2007; 110:694-702. [PMID: 17567834 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.22834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A decrease in the age at cancer onset and increase in cancer incidence in successive generations in Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) families with germline TP53 mutations have been previously described. In the current study a possible relation was analyzed between telomere length and cancer onset in TP53 mutation carriers. METHODS Telomere length was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 20 carriers of germline TP53 mutations and in 83 unrelated healthy individuals. According to the age at blood sampling, patients and controls were divided into 2 age groups, children and adults. Telomere length was correlated to TP53 mutation status and telomere shortening in patients to the age at cancer onset. A t-test and linear regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, telomere length was significantly shorter both in the child (P = .001) and adult (P = .034) germline T53 mutation carriers. Although a statistically significant correlation between telomere shortening and the age at cancer onset was not observed, there was a trend of shorter telomeres in mutation carriers affected in childhood compared with those affected later in life. Neither cancer therapy nor sex differences were likely to affect the results. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest a possible link between the carriership of a germline TP53 mutation, telomere length, predisposition to early-onset cancer, and anticipation in LFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Trkova
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Charles University 2nd Medical School and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
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25
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Savage SA, Alter BP. The role of telomere biology in bone marrow failure and other disorders. Mech Ageing Dev 2007; 129:35-47. [PMID: 18160098 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2007.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2007] [Revised: 11/07/2007] [Accepted: 11/10/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres, consisting of nucleotide repeats and a protein complex at chromosome ends, are essential in maintaining chromosomal integrity. Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is the inherited bone marrow failure syndrome (IBMFS) that epitomizes the effects of abnormal telomere biology. Patients with DC have extremely short telomere lengths (<1st percentile) and many have mutations in telomere biology genes. Interpretation of telomere length in other IBMFSs is less straightforward. Abnormal telomere shortening has been reported in patients with apparently acquired hematologic disorders, including aplastic anemia, myeolodysplasia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, and leukemia. In these disorders, the shortest-lived cells have the shortest telomeres, suggestive of increased hematopoietic stress. Telomeres are also markers of replicative and/or oxidative stress in other complex disease pathways, such as inflammation, stress, and carcinogenesis. The spectrum of related disorders caused by mutations in telomere biology genes extends beyond classical DC to include marrow failure that does not respond to immunosuppression, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and possibly other syndromes. We suggest that such patients be categorized as having an inherited disorder of telomere biology. Longitudinal studies of patients with very short telomeres but without classical DC are necessary to further understand the long-term sequelae, such as malignancy, osteonecrosis/osteoporosis, and pulmonary and liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon A Savage
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, United States.
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26
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Sieglová Z, Zilovcová S, Cermák J, Ríhová H, Brezinová D, Dvoráková R, Marková M, Maaloufová J, Sajdová J, Brezinová J, Zemanová Z, Michalová K. Dynamics of telomere erosion and its association with genome instability in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia arising from MDS: a marker of disease prognosis? Leuk Res 2007; 28:1013-21. [PMID: 15289012 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2003.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2003] [Accepted: 11/25/2003] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Telomere length was evaluated by terminal repeat fragment method (TRF) in 50 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) arising from MDS and in 21 patients with untreated primary AML to ascertain, whether telomere erosion was associated with progression of MDS towards overt leukemia. Heterogeneity of TRF among MDS FAB subgroups (P=0.004) originated from its shortening in increased number of patients during progression of the disease. Chromosomal aberrations were present in 32% MDS patients with more eroded telomeres (P=0.022), nevertheless a difference between mean TRF in the subgroups with normal and abnormal karyotype diminished during progression of MDS. A negative correlation between individual TRF and IPSS value (P=0.039) showed that telomere dynamics might serve as a useful prognostic factor for assessment of an individual MDS patient's risk and for decision of an optimal treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Sieglová
- Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, U Nemocnice 1, Prague, Czech Republic.
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27
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Engelhardt M, Wäsch R, Guo Y. Telomeres and telomerase in normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells. Leuk Res 2007; 28:1001-4. [PMID: 15289009 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2004.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2004] [Accepted: 01/19/2004] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Telomere length and telomerase have an important role in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Telomere erosion can lead to chromosome end fusion and thereby contribute to genomic instability during tumorigenesis. Thus, like complex chromosomal aberrations, telomere length may be a prognostic factor in hematopoietic malignancies. A paper by Sieglova et al. in this issue of Leukemia Research reports on the prognostic impact of telomere shortening in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) specimens of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and MDS converted-AML patients (pts). Their results underline the importance to study telomere biology together with cytogenetics, genomic and proteomic profiling as prognostic factors, in order to improve risk-adapted therapy of MDS and AML pts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Engelhardt
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
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Tallen G, Soliman MA, Riabowol K. The Cancer–Aging Interface and the Significance of Telomere Dynamics in Cancer Therapy. Rejuvenation Res 2007; 10:387-95. [PMID: 17708685 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2007.0598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of most cancer treatments depends markedly on the high replication rate of cancer cells, a characteristic frequently observed in neoplasms with higher grades of malignancy. Yet, the same characteristic is present in many normal regenerative tissues of the body, which makes them susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutics and accounts for many of the toxic side effects of these drugs. In response to cell killing by chemotherapeutics, normal regenerative tissues replicate at a faster rate to regenerate, resulting in accelerated telomere attrition and leaving different cell populations with telomeres shorter than they would normally have in the absence of treatment. This accelerated erosion has implications regarding the recurrence of cancers at secondary sites because reduced replicative ability may compromise effective subsequent immune responses. In this review we discuss recent reports describing the effect of chemotherapeutics on telomere loss, how this may impact healthy tissues in an age-dependent manner, and describe in brief emerging cancer treatments that may avoid this telomere erosion effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesche Tallen
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Haematology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin-Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
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29
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Abstract
One of the hallmarks of cancer is limitless proliferative capacity, which is tightly associated with the ability to maintain telomeres. Over the last decade, the telomere biology of pediatric cancers has begun to be elucidated. Most pediatric leukemias and embryonal solid tumors activate the enzyme telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase that adds nucleotide repeats to telomeres. In general, high levels of tumor telomerase expression are associated with unfavorable outcome, although results vary according to tumor type. Some pediatric tumors, including osteosarcoma and glioblastoma multiforme, lack telomerase activity and maintain telomeres via a recombination-based mechanism called ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres). Telomerase is a highly attractive therapeutic target for pediatric cancer because the enzyme plays a key role in conferring cellular immortality, is present in most tumors, and is relatively specific for cancer cells. Telomerase inhibitors have been evaluated in preclinical models of adult cancers, but few studies have been conducted on pediatric cancers. Further research is required to define how telomere biology can be used to clinical advantage in malignancies of childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Tabori
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
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30
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Shen J, Terry MB, Gurvich I, Liao Y, Senie RT, Santella RM. Short telomere length and breast cancer risk: a study in sister sets. Cancer Res 2007; 67:5538-44. [PMID: 17545637 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-3490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres consist of a tandem repeats of the sequence TTAGGG at the ends of chromosomes and play a key role in the maintenance of chromosomal stability. Previous studies indicated that short telomeres are associated with increased risk for human bladder, head and neck, lung, and renal cell cancer. We investigated the association between white blood cell telomere length and breast cancer risk among 268 family sets (287 breast cancer cases and 350 sister controls). Telomere length was assessed by quantitative PCR. The mean telomere length was shorter in cases (mean, 0.70; range, 0.03-1.95) than in unaffected control sisters (mean, 0.74; range, 0.03-2.29), but no significant difference was observed (P = 0.11). When subjects were categorized according to the median telomere length in controls (0.70), affected sisters had shorter telomeres compared with unaffected sisters after adjusting for age at blood donation and smoking status [odds ratio (OR), 1.3; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.9-1.8], but the association was not statistically significant. The association by quartile of telomere length (Q4 shortest versus Q1 longest) also supported an increase in risk from shorter telomere length, although the association was not statistically significant (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.9-2.7). This association was more pronounced among premenopausal women (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 0.8-5.5) than postmenopausal women (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.5-3.6 for Q4 versus Q1). If these associations are replicated in larger studies, they provide modest epidemiologic evidence that shortened telomere length may be associated with breast cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Shen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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31
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Yoon SY, Sung HJ, Park KH, Choi IK, Kim SJ, Oh SC, Seo JH, Choi CW, Kim BS, Shin SW, Kim YH, Kim JS. Telomere length shortening of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in solid-cancer patients undergoing standard-dose chemotherapy might be correlated with good treatment response and neutropenia severity. Acta Haematol 2007; 118:30-7. [PMID: 17429195 DOI: 10.1159/000101558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2006] [Accepted: 01/10/2007] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluated the telomere length changes (DeltaTL) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after repetitive standard-dose nonmyeloablative chemotherapy and the association of DeltaTL with treatment response and myelosuppression severity. TL was measured with Southern blot analysis in 32 solid-cancer patients without bone marrow metastasis. The mean TL before chemotherapy (t0 TL) and after the 2nd (t1 TL), 4th (t2 TL) and 6th cycle (t3 TL) was 8.49, 8.33, 8.08 and 8.10 kb, respectively. TL became significantly decreased after 4 (p = 0.005) and 6 (p = 0.026) cycles of chemotherapy. The mean value of DeltaTL before and after completion of chemotherapy (t0 TL - t3 TL) was 0.46 kb. DeltaTL has a significant correlation with good treatment response (r = 0.448, p = 0.005) and the frequency of severe neutropenia (r = 0.417, p < 0.05). Consequently, TL of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was decreased by the repetitive nonmyeloablative standard-dose chemotherapy in solid-cancer patients without bone marrow metastasis, and DeltaTL was associated with good treatment response and neutropenia severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Young Yoon
- Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
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32
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Unryn BM, Hao D, Glück S, Riabowol KT. Acceleration of Telomere Loss by Chemotherapy Is Greater in Older Patients with Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2006; 12:6345-50. [PMID: 17085644 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-06-0486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Chronic viral infection and combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs have been reported to accelerate telomere erosion. Here, we asked if chemoradiotherapy, using the single agent cisplatin, would accelerate telomere loss in head and neck cancer patients, and whether loss was linked to smoking status, age, gender, or stage of disease at diagnosis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Blood samples were collected from 20 patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck before, during, and after chemoradiotherapy. Following DNA isolation from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, telomere length was measured by terminal restriction fragment analysis. RESULTS Chemoradiotherapy increased the rate of telomere erosion>100-fold. Telomere length before treatment in chemoradiotherapy patients was similar to age-matched controls. Although smokers began with significantly shorter telomeres, smoking status did not affect chemoradiotherapy-induced attrition, nor did gender or stage of disease. We also make the novel observation that a significantly greater telomere loss occurred in response to treatment in older patients, with those younger than 55 years losing an average of 400 bp of telomeric DNA compared with the 880 bp lost by those over 55 years. CONCLUSIONS The lack of telomere length difference before treatment suggests that shortened telomeres may not be a risk factor for development of head and neck cancer in the age range we examined. Chemoradiotherapy caused a severe telomere length reduction in all patients. The significant difference seen in the elderly (P=0.018) suggests that chemoradiotherapy may have more severe effects on the replicative capacity of blood cells in older patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad M Unryn
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Calgary Health Sciences Centre, Canada
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Kleideiter E, Bangerter U, Schwab M, Boukamp P, Koscielniak E, Klotz U, Greil J. Telomeres and telomerase in paediatric patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). Leukemia 2005; 19:296-8. [PMID: 15549144 DOI: 10.1038/sj.leu.2403596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Verstovsek S, Giles FJ, O'Brien S, Faderl S, Kantarjian HM, Keating MJ, Albitar M. Telomerase activity is not a prognostic factor in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leuk Res 2004; 28:707-11. [PMID: 15158092 DOI: 10.1016/j.leukres.2003.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2002] [Accepted: 11/18/2003] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We measured telomerase activity (TA) in bone marrow samples from 214 patients with CLL and correlated it with patients' characteristics and survival. In >50% of cases (126/214; 59%) no detectable TA was found. There was no difference in TA between previously treated (n = 153) and untreated (n = 61) patients (P = 0.4), or patients with various Rai (0-IV) stages (P = 0.85). TA correlated significantly with white blood cell and lymphocyte count (P = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively) but not with bone marrow cellularity, beta2-microglobulin (beta2M), or other patient characteristics. Patients who had no TA had slightly lower beta2M and lower lymphocyte counts (P = 0.5 and 0.04, respectively) as compared with patients with detectable TA. However, there was no correlation between TA and survival. This data suggests that TA may not play a significant role in the clinical behavior of CLL.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Bone Marrow Cells
- Humans
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/diagnosis
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/enzymology
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/mortality
- Leukocyte Count
- Lymphocyte Count
- Middle Aged
- Neoplasm Staging
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Prognosis
- Telomerase/analysis
- Telomerase/metabolism
- beta 2-Microglobulin/analysis
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Affiliation(s)
- Srdan Verstovsek
- Department of Leukemia, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Polychronopoulou S, Koutroumba P. Telomere length and telomerase activity: variations with advancing age and potential role in childhood malignancies. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2004; 26:342-50. [PMID: 15167346 DOI: 10.1097/00043426-200406000-00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres, representing the chromosome nucleoprotein tails, shorten during each cell division due to the inability of conventional DNA polymerases to completely replicate the chromosome termini. When telomeres become critically short, cells are directed to exit from the cell division cycle (replicative senescence). Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that synthesizes telomeric sequences, thereby prolonging the lifespan of cells. Telomere length and telomerase activity expression vary significantly in different normal somatic tissues and age groups. In many childhood malignancies (ie, acute leukemias and solid tumors), telomere length and telomerase activity of the malignant cell population may be correlated with the disease outcome and thus may be promising tools in evaluating prognosis and monitoring treatment progress. Finally, telomerase inhibition by using several strategies (ie, antisense oligonucleotides) represents a potentially valuable target for antitumor therapy in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Polychronopoulou
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
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