Frequency of TERT promoter mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

The TERT gene encodes its catalytic subunit that is essential for telomere length at the chromosome ends. The expression of TERT is highly associated with the risk of human cancers. Recurrent mutations in the promoter of the TERT gene are identified as a mechanism to activate telomerase in cancer. This study aims to determine the rate of TERT promoter mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue samples and the association between the TERT promoter mutations and some risk factors of HCC. The study was conducted on 84 patients diagnosed with HCC by pathological surgery. Gene sequencing technique was used to identify TERT promoter mutations. Results exhibited 21 samples (25%) carried TERT promoter mutation at -124C>T site and no mutation at -146C>T site. At the same time, there was no association between -124C>T mutation and risks of HCC found in this study.