PMID: 8971181Dec 15, 1996Paper

Detection of telomerase activity in oral rinses from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

Cancer Research
Joseph A CalifanoDavid Sidransky

Abstract

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that maintains telomere length and whose activity is associated with escape from cellular senescence. Telomerase activity has been found in germline, immortalized, and malignant tumor cells. Using a modified PCR-based assay for telomerase activity, 26 of 35 (80%) primary, fresh, head and neck squamous cell cancer specimens and 3 of 6 head and neck squamous dysplastic lesions possessed telomerase activity. In addition, 14 of 44 (32%) oral rinses from a separate group of head and neck squamous cell cancer patients contained detectable telomerase activity, whereas 1 of 22 (5%) oral rinses from normal control patients exhibited telomerase activity. Telomerase activity in oral rinses was compared with corresponding activity in paired primary tumor samples for 19 cases: 7 of 19 demonstrated activity in both tumor and oral rinse, 2 of 19 lacked activity in both tumor and oral rinse, 10 of 19 tumors demonstrated activity that could not be detected in corresponding oral rinses, and there were no examples of positive oral rinses with corresponding negative tumors. Although currently limited in its sensitivity, analysis of telomerase activity in oral rinses represents a novel method to detect the presence...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell

Basal cell carcinoma is a form of malignant skin cancer found on the head and neck regions and has low rates of metastasis. Discover the latest research on basal cell carcinoma here.

Related Papers

Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine : Official Publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology
T SumidaN Ueda
Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine
N D SharmaN Singh
Acta otorrinolaringológica española
Celia López MolláJosé Dalmau Galofre
Clinical Cancer Research : an Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
M F SpaffordDavid Sidransky
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved