title: [Telomerase activity in cervical cancer and its precursor lesion].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study telomerase activity in cervical cancer and it's precursor lesion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six cervical cancer and 16 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) specimens were measured for telomerase activity using TRAP-ELISA, and 11 normal cervix, 6 chronic cervicitis and 8 adjacent normal tissue specimens as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean telomerase activity in CIN, cervical cancer, and controls were 0.398 +/- 0.293, 1.580 +/- 0.819, 0.050 +/- 0.012. There was statistically significant difference among three groups (P < 0.01). Additionally, between patients with lymph node metastases (N+) and patients with tumor-free lymph nodes metastases (N-) a statistically distinct difference in telomerase activity was detected (P < 0.05). Telomerase activity was increasing with the advancing of histologic differentiated grade in invasive cervical cancer. However, no significant relationship was found between telomerase activity and tumor size, clinical stage, histology.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that the reactivation of telomerase is an early event and may play an important role during cervical carcinogenesis and progression. It may be used as a tumor biomarker, helpful for the diagnosis of cervical cancer and CIN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital, Henan Medical University, Zhengzhou 450052, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D019098:Telomerase