1Yonsei Cancer Research Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. 2Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. 3Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. 4Department of General Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We studied the telomerase activity in normal and cancer tissues of the breast and then compared it to the clinical parameters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 36 paired normal and cancerous breast tissues were assayed for telomerase activity by PCR-based TRAP assay (telomeric repeat amplification protocol). In 17 cancer tissues, flow cytometric analysis for S-phase fraction was done.
RESULTS: None of the normal breast tissue expressed telomerase activity while 23 out of 26 breast cancer tissue expressed telomerase activity (92%). Clinical parameters such as T-factor, tumor grade, hormone receptor expression, mitosis, S-phase fraction did not correlate with telomerase expression. However, telomerase acitvity increased with cancer progression such as; in a state of lymph node metastasis and in an advanced pathological stage.
CONCLUSION: Telomerase activity was expressed only from cancer tissues. And this expression increased with cancer progression suggesting a possible therapeutic target in breast cancer.
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