Telomere length in peripheral leukocyte DNA and gastric cancer risk.
Telomere length reflects lifetime cumulative oxidative stress from environmental exposures, such as cigarette smoking and chronic inflammation. Shortened telomere length is thought to cause genomic instability and has been associated with several cancers. We examined the association of telomere length in peripheral leukocyte DNA with gastric cancer risk as well as potential confounding factors and risk modifiers for telomere length-related risk. In a population-based study of gastric cancer conducted in a high-risk population in Warsaw, Poland, between 1994 and 1996, we measured relative telomere length in 300 cases and 416 age- and gender-matched controls using quantitative real-time PCR. Among controls, telomeres were significantly shorter in association with aging (P < 0.001), increasing pack-years of cigarette smoking (P = 0.02), decreasing fruit intake (P = 0.04), and Helicobacter pylori positivity (P = 0.03). Gastric cancer cases had significantly shorter telomere length (mean +/- SD relative telomere length, 1.25 +/- 0.34) than controls (1.34 +/- 0.35; P = 0.0008). Gastric cancer risk doubled [odds ratio (OR), 2.04; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.33-3.13] among subjects in the shortest compared with the highest quartile of telomere length (P(trend) < 0.001). Telomere length-associated risks were higher among individuals with the lowest risk profile, those H. pylori-negative (OR, 5.45; 95% CI, 2.10-14.1), nonsmokers (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.71-5.51), and individuals with high intake of fruits (OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.46-4.05) or vegetables (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.51-3.81). Our results suggest that telomere length in peripheral leukocyte DNA was associated with H. pylori positivity, cigarette smoking, and dietary fruit intake. Shortened telomeres increased gastric cancer risk in this high-risk Polish population.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, and The Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA. l-hou@northwestern.edu
Lifang
L
Hou
Sharon A
SA
Savage
Martin J
MJ
Blaser
Guillermo
G
Perez-Perez
Mirjam
M
Hoxha
Laura
L
Dioni
Valeria
V
Pegoraro
Linda M
LM
Dong
Witold
W
Zatonski
Jolanta
J
Lissowska
Wong-Ho
WH
Chow
Andrea
A
Baccarelli
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D016615:Telomere / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014675:Vegetables; D055815:Young Adult
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm