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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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Association of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length with Prevalent and Incident Cancer and Cancer Mortality in Women: A Prospective Swedish Population-Based Study. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13153842. [PMID: 34359743 PMCID: PMC8345403 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13153842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and telomere length have, separately, been proposed as risk factors for various cancer types. However, those results are conflicting. Here, mtDNA-CN and relative telomere length were measured in 3225 middle-aged women included in a large population-based prospective cohort. The baseline mtDNA-CN in patients with prevalent breast cancer was significantly higher (12.39 copies/µL) than cancer-free individuals. During an average of 15.2 years of follow-up, 520 patients were diagnosed with cancer. Lower mtDNA-CN was associated with decreased risk of genital organ cancer (hazard ratio (HR), 0.84), and shorter telomere length was associated with increased risk of urinary system cancer (HR, 1.79). Furthermore, mtDNA-CN was inversely associated with all-cause (HR, 1.20) and cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.21) when considering all cancer types. Surprisingly, shorter telomere length was associated with decreased risk of cancer-specific mortality when considering all cancer types (HR, 0.85). Finally, lower mtDNA-CN and shorter telomere length were associated with increased risk of both all-cause and cancer-specific mortality in genital organ cancer patients. In this study population, we found that mtDNA-CN and telomere length were significantly associated with prevalent and incident cancer and cancer mortality. However, these associations were cancer type specific and need further investigation.
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