title: The prognostic value of telomerase expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of head and neck cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the expression of telomerase in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of head and neck cancer patients and the relationship between the telomerase expression in PBMCs and clinicopathological features with prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Peripheral blood samples were collected from 100 head and neck squamous cell cancer patients and 20 normal control group. The telomerase activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured by telomerase rapid amplification protocol (TRAP) assay using TRAPeze telomerase detection kit. Pearson chi test was used to analyze the correlation of telomerase expression with clinicopathologic parameters. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for prognostic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding the expression of telomerase in PBMCs of patients, 73 out of 100 (73.0%) were found to be positive, and the remaining 27 cases (27.0%) were negative. The difference to the telomerase expression of PBMCs in the normal and cancer patients was significant (P < 0.001). The expression of telomerase in PBMCs of patients was significant correlated with T classification (P = 0.005), N classification (P = 0.002), and AJCC stages (P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, N classification (P = 0.007), AJCC stages (P = 0.02), and telomerase expression (P = 0.017) showed independent factors associated with poor survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The detection of telomerase expression in PBMCs of head and neck cancer patients is a simple and very useful molecular marker for the progression and prognosis of head and neck cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Soo-Geun
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jin-Sik
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jin-Choon
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Eui-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Goh
authors.forename: Myung-Gu
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D019098:Telomerase / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019098:Telomerase