Expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in laryngeal tissues

Abstract

Problem: Telomerase is believed to play a major role in transforming cells (immortalization) to carcinoma. Its activity has been detected in 90% of human cancers. We evaluated telomerase activity in laryngeal carcinoma patients who underwent surgery for cure through the immunohistochemical detection of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Telomerase activity is correlated to hTERT expression. Methods: Patients were divided into 2 groups (those who were cured and those who had recurrences) and the (height) percentage of the thickness of the epithelium with hTERT positive cells and the percentage of hTERT positive cells per high-powered field (HPF) was compared. Twenty-three carcinoma specimens (14 cured and 9 recurrence) were stained with hTERT antibody. Results: The positive hTERT expression (85.7%) in the cured specimens was not statistically significant when compared to the recurrence specimens (100%) ( P = 0.50). The minimum height and minimum percentage of positive cells per HPF in the cured group was zero. However, the minimum height in the recurrence group was 55.0%, and the minimum percentage of positive cells per HPF was 52.3%. Furthermore, we evaluated the hTERT expression of the normal epithelium surrounding the carcinomas and found no differences between the cured and recurrence groups ( P = 0.46). Conclusion: In conclusion, although hTERT expression could not positively predict the patient’s outcome (cure versus recurrence), those specimens with less than 50% height involvement or percentage of positive hTERT staining cells per HPF tended to be cured from the treatment. Larger sample sizes are necessary to establish the predictive ability of hTERT expression in cancer. Significance: Telomerase activity has been detected in over 90% of all human cancers. hTERT and Telomerase levels may be predictive of cure in cancer. A multi-institutional trial has been started to increase the number of samples to increase the statistical power and possibly arrive at a definitive answer to this important question. Support: None reported.