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Tsatsakis A, Oikonomopoulou T, Nikolouzakis TK, Vakonaki E, Tzatzarakis M, Flamourakis M, Renieri E, Fragkiadaki P, Iliaki E, Bachlitzanaki M, Karzi V, Katsikantami I, Kakridonis F, Hatzidaki E, Tolia M, Svistunov AA, Spandidos DA, Nikitovic D, Tsiaoussis J, Berdiaki A. Role of telomere length in human carcinogenesis (Review). Int J Oncol 2023; 63:78. [PMID: 37232367 PMCID: PMC10552730 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2023.5526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is considered the most important clinical, social and economic issue regarding cause‑specific disability‑adjusted life years among all human pathologies. Exogenous, endogenous and individual factors, including genetic predisposition, participate in cancer triggering. Telomeres are specific DNA structures positioned at the end of chromosomes and consist of repetitive nucleotide sequences, which, together with shelterin proteins, facilitate the maintenance of chromosome stability, while protecting them from genomic erosion. Even though the connection between telomere status and carcinogenesis has been identified, the absence of a universal or even a cancer‑specific trend renders consent even more complex. It is indicative that both short and long telomere lengths have been associated with a high risk of cancer incidence. When evaluating risk associations between cancer and telomere length, a disparity appears to emerge. Even though shorter telomeres have been adopted as a marker of poorer health status and an older biological age, longer telomeres due to increased cell growth potential are associated with the acquirement of cancer‑initiating somatic mutations. Therefore, the present review aimed to comprehensively present the multifaceted pattern of telomere length and cancer incidence association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aristidis Tsatsakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Tatiana Oikonomopoulou
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Taxiarchis Konstantinos Nikolouzakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Elena Vakonaki
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Manolis Tzatzarakis
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | | | - Elisavet Renieri
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | | | - Evaggelia Iliaki
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71500 Heraklion
| | - Maria Bachlitzanaki
- Department of Medical Oncology, Venizeleion General Hospital of Heraklion, 71409 Heraklion
| | - Vasiliki Karzi
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Ioanna Katsikantami
- Laboratory of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Fotios Kakridonis
- Department of Spine Surgery and Scoliosis, KAT General Hospital, 14561 Athens
| | - Eleftheria Hatzidaki
- Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), University Hospital of Heraklion, 71500 Heraklion
| | - Maria Tolia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital of Crete, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Andrey A. Svistunov
- Department of Pharmacology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119146 Moscow, Russia
| | - Demetrios A. Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dragana Nikitovic
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - John Tsiaoussis
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion
| | - Aikaterini Berdiaki
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
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Wojcicki JM, Gill RM, Wilson L, Lin J, Rosenthal P. Shorter leukocyte telomere length protects against NAFLD progression in children. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5446. [PMID: 37012261 PMCID: PMC10070244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31149-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) gets shorter with each cell division and is also sensitive to reactive oxygen species damage and inflammatory processes. Studies in adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have found that increased fibrosis but not ALT levels are associated with shorter LTL. Few pediatric studies have been conducted; as such, we sought to evaluate potential associations between LTL and liver disease and liver disease progression in pediatric patients. Using data from the Treatment of NAFLD in Children (TONIC) randomized controlled trial, we assessed the potential predictive relationship between LTL and liver disease progression based on two successive liver biopsies over 96 weeks. We assessed the potential relationship between LTL and child age, sex, and race/ethnicity and features of liver disease including components of histology. We subsequently evaluated predictors for improvement in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) at 96 weeks including LTL. We also assessed predictors of lobular inflammation improvement at 96 weeks using multivariable models. Mean LTL at baseline was 1.33 ± 0.23 T/S. Increasing lobular and portal inflammation were associated with longer LTL. In multivariable models, greater lobular inflammation at baseline was associated with longer LTL (Coeff 0.03, 95% CI 0.006-0.13; p = 0.03). Longer LTL at baseline was associated with worsening lobular inflammation at 96 weeks (Coeff 2.41, 95% CI 0.78-4.04; p < 0.01). There was no association between liver fibrosis and LTL. The association between LTL and pediatric NASH does not parallel adults with no association between fibrosis stage and NASH. Conversely, longer LTL was associated with more lobular inflammation at baseline and increased lobular inflammation over the 96-week period. Longer LTL in children may indicate greater risk for future complications from NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet M Wojcicki
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Ryan M Gill
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Laura Wilson
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jue Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Philip Rosenthal
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
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Samavat H, Luu HN, Beckman KB, Jin A, Wang R, Koh WP, Yuan JM. Leukocyte telomere length, cancer incidence and all-cause mortality among Chinese adults: Singapore Chinese Health Study. Int J Cancer 2021; 148:352-362. [PMID: 33459354 PMCID: PMC10693991 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres play a key role in chromosomal maintenance and stability. To date, few studies have investigated the association of leukocyte telomere length with risk of cancer incidence and all-cause mortality in a large prospective cohort, particularly of the Asian population. Relative telomere lengths in genomic DNA from peripheral blood samples were quantified using a validated quantitative real-time PCR among 26 540 middle-aged or older Chinese adults. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cancer and deaths by quintiles of telomere length were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards regression method with adjustment for age, sex and other potential confounders. After baseline blood collection, 4353 persons developed cancer and 7609 died. Participants with the longest decile of telomeres had a 26% (95% CI: 11%-44%) higher risk of total cancer incidence compared to the shortest decile after controlling for age, sex and other potential founders (Ptrend < .0001). In contrast, longer telomeres were associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.84-1.03), noncancer death (HR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.92), specifically, death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.70-0.89) and digestive diseases (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42-0.88). Our findings demonstrated that longer telomeres are associated with increased risk of cancer development overall and several common cancer types including breast, rectal, prostate, pancreatic cancer and lung adenocarcinoma. Our study also confirmed that longer telomeres are associated with a reduced risk of noncancer related death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamed Samavat
- Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Hung N. Luu
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Kenneth B. Beckman
- University of Minnesota Genomics Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Aizhen Jin
- Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Renwei Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Woon-Puay Koh
- Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jian-Min Yuan
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Chen CJ, You SL, Hsu WL, Yang HI, Lee MH, Chen HC, Chen YY, Liu J, Hu HH, Lin YJ, Chu YJ, Huang YT, Chiang CJ, Chien YC. Epidemiology of Virus Infection and Human Cancer. Recent Results Cancer Res 2021; 217:13-45. [PMID: 33200360 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-57362-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Seven viruses including the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus (KSHV), human immunodeficiency virus, type-1 (HIV-1), human T cell lymphotrophic virus, type-1 (HTLV-1), and human papillomavirus (HPV) have been classified as Group 1 human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The conclusions are based on the findings of epidemiological and mechanistic studies. EBV, HPV, HTLV-1, and KSHV are direct carcinogens; HBV and HCV are indirect carcinogens through chronic inflammation; and HIV-1 is an indirect carcinogen through immune suppression. Some viruses may cause more than one cancer, while some cancers may be caused by more than one virus. However, only a proportion of persons infected by these oncogenic viruses will develop specific cancers. A series of studies have been carried out to assess the viral, host, and environmental cofactors of EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma, HBV/HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma, and HPV-associated cervical carcinoma. Persistent infection, high viral load, and viral genotype are important risk predictors of these virus-caused cancers. Risk calculators incorporating host and viral risk predictors have been developed for the prediction of long-term risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and cervical cancer. These risk calculators are useful for the triage and clinical management of infected patients. Both clinical trials and national programs of immunization, antiviral therapy and screening have demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of cancers caused by HBV, HCV, and HPV. Future research on gene-gene and gene-environment interactions of oncogenic viruses and the human host using large-scale longitudinal studies with serial measurements of biosignatures are in urgent need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Jen Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sect. 2, Taipei, 115, Taiwan.
| | - San-Lin You
- School of Medicine and Big Data Research Centre, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Lun Hsu
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sect. 2, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Hwai-I Yang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sect. 2, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Hsuan Lee
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Chi Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sect. 2, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | | | - Jessica Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, Perinatal Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Hui-Han Hu
- Department of Translational Science, Preclinical Research, PharmaEngine Inc., Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ju Lin
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ju Chu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yen-Tsung Huang
- Institute of Statistical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Ju Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Chu Chien
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Sect. 2, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
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Zhang X, Zhao Q, Zhu W, Liu T, Xie SH, Zhong LX, Cai YY, Li XN, Liang M, Chen W, Hu QS, Zhang B. The Association of Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Cells with Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017; 26:1381-1390. [PMID: 28619828 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-16-0968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The association between telomere length (TL) in peripheral blood cells and cancer risk remains inconclusive. We carried out a meta-analysis on prospective studies. The study-specific RR estimates were first transformed to a common comparable scale and then were pooled by a random-effects model. The dataset was composed of 13,894 cases and 71,672 controls from 28 studies in 25 articles. In the comparison of the longest versus shortest third of TL, we observed a marginally positive association between longer TL and higher risk of total cancers [OR = 1.086; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.952-1.238]. Subgroup analyses showed that the association was stronger in lung cancer (n = 3; OR = 1.690; 95% CI, 1.253-2.280), in men (n = 6; OR = 1.302; 95% CI, 1.120-1.514) and in studies with more precise methods for DNA extraction (phenol-chloroform, salting-out or magnetic bead, n = 6, OR = 1.618; 95% CI, 1.320-1.985) and TL measurement (multiplex Q-PCR, n = 8; OR = 1.439; 95% CI, 1.118-1.852). Our meta-analysis suggested longer TL in peripheral blood cells is a likely risk factor for lung cancer or cancers in men. Accurate DNA extraction and TL measurement methods make it more liable to find significant associations between TL and cancer risk and thus should be taken into consideration in future epidemiologic studies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(9); 1381-90. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian Zhao
- School of Public Health, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- Department of Toxicology, Guangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shao-Hua Xie
- Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Li-Xin Zhong
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Cai
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Na Li
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mei Liang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen Chen
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qian-Sheng Hu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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