[Measurement of telomerase activity and telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in gastric fluid and tissue for early diagnosis of stomach cancer].
OBJECTIVE
Telomerase activity and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression have been proposed as a marker for malignancy. However, little is known about those markers in intestinal metaplasia (IM). This study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of telomerase activity in gastric washing fluid and TERT expression in tissue as a marker for early diagnosis of stomach cancer.


METHODS
Gastric washing fluid and biopsies were taken endoscopically. We examined the telomerase activity by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) and the TERT expression by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 26, 21 and 15 cases of cancer, IM, and normal mucosa respectively.


RESULTS
The telomerase activity was positive in 65% of cancer, 44% of incomplete IM, and 33% of complete IM. The TERT was expressed in 89% of cancer, 81% of IM, but not in normal mucosa. The TERT expression level was higher in cancer and incomplete IM than in complete IM and normal mucosa (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Telomerase activity in gastric washing fluid and TERT expression in tissue may have limited usefulness as a marker for the early diagnosis of stomach cancer. However, the increased levels of TERT expression in IM and cancer suggest that TERT expression may be associated with carcinogenesis in stomach cancer.
Lee
Hyun Ju
HJ
University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Myung
Seung-Jae
SJ
Park
Young Hwan
YH
Cho
Yoon Kyung
YK
Jung
Hwoon-Yong
HY
Lee
Gin Hyug
GH
Hong
Weon-Seon
WS
Yang
Suk-Kyun
SK
Kim
Jin-Ho
JH
Min
Young Il
YI
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005751:Gastric Lavage; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D008679:Metaplasia; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000175:diagnosis; D013270:Stomach / Q000201:enzymology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D019098:Telomerase / Q000032:analysis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase