title: Shorter telomere length of T-cells in peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Telomere shortening occurs in tumor tissues and peripheral blood lymphocytes of many common human malignancies, including lung cancer, but its variation in T-cells has never been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess telomere length in T-cells and its correlation with the clinical characteristics of patients with lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 40 patients with lung cancer but without prior cancer history and 25 healthy individuals were selected. T-cells were isolated and their telomere lengths were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Telomere length in T-cells was significantly shorter in patients with lung cancer than in controls (P<0.001). Shorter telomere length was significantly associated with increased clinical stage (P=0.008) and distant metastasis (P=0.028). Naïve T-cells from patients with lung cancer had significantly decreased telomere length when compared with those from controls (P=0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The shortened telomere length in T-cells occurred in naïve T-cells and might be related to lung cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yaqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; Department of Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; National Clinical Research Center of Cancer, Tianjin, People's Republic of China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: T lymphocytes; immunocompromise; naïve T-cell; telomere shortening; telomere’s activity; tumor