Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) in laryngeal tissues

Abstract

Problem: Telomerase is a multi-subunit enzyme that preserves the telomeric length in human cells. It is involved in the process of immortalization of cells in many types of carcinoma and has been detected in over 90% of human cancers. This study was conducted to determine whether the presence of telomerase in different laryngeal tissues could be used as a marker for malignancy. Methods: We immunohistochemically stained 4 types of laryngeal specimens for human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT); normal true vocal folds, vocal polyps, squamous atypia, and glottic carcinomas. The hTERT expression in the epithelium of all specimens was analyzed by light microscopy with 2 observers. Positive expression was determined by the presence of intranuclear staining. Results: The percentage of hTERT positive cells in a given high-powered field was 5.09% for normal vocal folds, 12.70% for vocal polyps, 5.87% for squamous atypia, and 72.65% in squamous cell carcinoma. Only the expression in the laryngeal carcinoma was statistically significant compared to the other laryngeal tissues ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: hTERT expression is a good marker for laryngeal carcinoma but is not good at differentiating within benign vocal pathology. Significance: Telomerase expression is an excellent predictor of malignancy in the larynx. It does not assist in distinguishing within benign pathology. Support: None reported.