title: A prospective study of leukocyte telomere length and risk of renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been hypothesized that genomic instability related to telomere dysfunction may contribute to carcinogenesis. There is some evidence from case-control studies suggesting that short leukocyte telomere length may be associated with an increased risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC); however, this association has not been investigated prospectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a nested case-control study (209 cases, 410 controls) of RCC risk in relation to prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leukocyte telomere length was not significantly associated with future risk of RCC (highest quartile vs. lowest: OR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.5-1.5; Ptrend = 0.6). Analyses stratified by sex, age, and time from blood collection to RCC diagnosis were similarly null.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study, to our knowledge the first prospective investigation of its kind, do not support an association between prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length and risk of RCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to some earlier reports, our findings add to the evidence that leukocyte telomere length is not a biomarker of risk related to the etiology of RCC.
authors.affiliation: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, 6120 Executive Blvd, EPS 8113, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. hofmannjn@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Jonathan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cawthon
authors.forename: H Dean
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Hosgood
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shuch
authors.forename: Lee E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rothman
authors.forename: Wong-Ho
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Purdue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016615:Telomere / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure*