Telomerase activity as a potential marker in preneoplastic XXXX .

@entity1 @entity198 @entity1494 @entity5 @entity189 @entity150 @entity1613 @entity2335 @entity1141
OBJECTIVE: To assess telomerase activity (involved in cell immortalization and detectable in most @entity5 but not in normal somatic tissues) as a marker in @entity5 diagnosis. @entity1 AND METHODS: Tissue telomerase activity was assayed by two different techniques, the telomeric repeat amplification protocol-polymerase chain reaction (TRAP-PCR) and a telomerase PCR-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. @entity1494 and their adjacent normal tissues were assessed for telomerase activity in a group of 18 @entity1 , 14 of whom had @entity189 and four a nonspecific inflammatory lesion of the bladder. RESULTS: Eleven of the 14 @entity5 samples analysed were telomerase-positive and two of the three telomerase-negative @entity5 samples had a detectable 'telomerase inhibitor'. In the apparently normal tissues next to @entity150 , four of the 14 specimens were telomerase-positive. Interestingly, these lesions were always next to high-grade muscle-invasive @entity150 (pT2G3). Two of the four nonspecific @entity198 (one of @entity2335 and one of severe @entity1141 ), known to be @entity1613 , were also telomerase-positive. CONCLUSION: These results strongly suggest that the reactivation of telomerase may be an early event in @entity1494 , preceding morphological changes related to malignant transformation. Telomerase activity may therefore be useful both as an indicator of malignant potential in @entity1613 , e.g. @entity2335 and severe @entity1141 , and as a prognostic marker of @entity150 relapse or progression.
