title: [The study on the role of telomerase activity in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate the role of telomerase activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Telomerase activity was detected using the telomere repeat amplification protocol(TRAP) combined with silver staining in 42 low-differentiated squamous carcinoma, 10 normal nasopharyngeal mucosae and 8 nasopharyngeal fibrohemangioma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Telomerase activity was detectable in 20% normal nasopharyngeal mucosae and 88.1% in NPC. The activity of telomerase was not detectable in 8 nasopharyngeal fibrohemangioma tissues. Telomerase activity was present more frequently in NPC biopsies with positive lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (P = 0.035). Furthermore, telomerase activity was observed more frequently in advanced NPC than in early stage (P = 0.048). However, there was no evidence to show the relationship between telomerase activity and other clinical features, such as age, gender and distant metastasis (P > 0.05). Serum EBV marker(VCA-IgA) was observed more frequently in NPC than in normal nasopharyngeal mucosae patients(P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Telomerase activity may play a critical role in the tumorigenesis of NPC. Detection of telomerase activity combined with serological EBV markers may contribute to the screening and early diagnosis of NPC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. penghong@fimmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019098:Telomerase