Short telomeres linked to GI tumors

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 31 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Research indicates that the development of abnormally short telomeres could play a critical role in the early formation of many types of cancer, including those of the large intestine and esophagus. "Cancer researchers have debated whether shortened telomeres were a cause or effect of tumors," lead researcher Alan K Meeker (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) explains in a statement.

"Our study suggests that telomere dysfunction may be a key component in the development of many epithelial cancers," he says.

Using fluorescent in situ hybridization, Meeker and fellow scientists assessed the telomere length in surgical specimens obtained from precancerous lesions of the bladder, cervix, mouth, esophagus, and large intestine.

Clin Cancer Res 2004; 10: 3317-3326

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