title: Telomere length in neoplastic and nonneoplastic tissues of patients with familial and sporadic papillary thyroid cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies have found an association between altered telomere length (TL), both attrition or elongation, and cancer phenotype. Recently, we have reported that patients with the familial form of papillary thyroid cancer (FPTC) have short telomeres in blood leucocytes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate relative TL (RTL) at somatic level in neoplastic and nonneoplastic tissues of patients with FPTC (n = 30) and sporadic PTC (n = 46).
  
  
  METHODS
  RTL was measured by quantitative PCR in neoplastic thyroid tissues, in the corresponding nontumor thyroid tissues (normal contralateral thyroid), and in other extrathyroidal tissues (lymph nodes, muscles, or buccal mucosa). RTL was also measured in adenomas and hyperplastic nodules. In a subset of samples, telomerase expression was measured by quantitative PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean ± SD RTL of FPTC patients was short in neoplastic thyroid tissues (0.87 ± 0.2) with no difference from the normal contralateral thyroid tissues (0.85 ± 0.11) and extrathyroidal tissues (0.85 ± 0.31). On the contrary, in patients with sporadic PTC, the mean ± SD RTL in the neoplastic tissues (1.73 ± 0.63) was significantly shorter than that found in normal contralateral tissues (2.58 ± 0.89) and extrathyroidal tissues (2.5 ± 0.86). For all tissue samples (cancer, normal thyroid, and nonthyroidal tissues) the mean ± SD RTL of familial cases was shorter (P < 0.0001) than that found in tissues from sporadic PTC. RTL of FPTC was also lower (P < 0.0001) than that of 23 follicular adenomas (1.6 ± 0.7) and 24 hyperplastic nodules (2.2 ± 0.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that short telomeres are a consistent feature of PTC, which in familial cases, is not restricted to the tumor tissue. This finding suggests that FPTC has a distinct, heritable, genetic background.
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism and Biochemistry, University of Siena, Policlinico Santa Maria alle Scotte, Viale Bracci 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capezzone
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cantara
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchisotta
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Busonero
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Formichi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benigni
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capuano
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toti
authors.forename: Kalliopi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pazaitou-Panayiotou
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Anton Ferdinando
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: Nazzareno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Palummo
authors.forename: Furio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology