Impact of telomere length for risk assessment and prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer depending on the clinicopathological features

Alwehaidah MS 1 , Al-Awadhi R 2 , AlRoomy M 2 , Baqer TA 3

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Jabriyah City, State of Kuwait. matra.alweheda@ku.edu.kw
  • 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kuwait University, Jabriyah City, State of Kuwait
  • 3 Histopathology Laboratory, Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC), Sabah Health Area, Ministry of Health, Shuwaikh, State of Kuwait
Mol Genet Genomics, 2024 Dec 20;300(1):2.
PMID: 39704849 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-024-02207-5

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: . Despite the establishment of a link between telomere status and carcinogenesis, lack of a consensus in the cancer specific pattern of telomere length has a severe impact on the use of relative telomere length (RTL) in cancer diagnosis. The disparity in assessing the relationship between telomere length and cancer risk is complex and may vary as it is influenced by other factors. The objective of this study is to thoroughly examine the intricate relationship between telomere length and cancer incidence in Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) depending on the tumor type, stage, patients' sex and age. Therefore, the current study is focused on the association of RTL in PTC patients with different clinicopathological characteristics and compared with controls to determine the risk of PTC and expected survival time after surgery.

METHOD: . This study included 126 patients with PTC and 80 controls. RTL in thyroid tissues was measured using quantitative (q) PCR. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used to analyze postsurgical outcomes.

RESULT: . The RTL of patients was significantly shorter than that of controls. A short RTL was significantly correlated with an elevated risk of PTC in patients aged ≥ 55 years, female sex, classic subtype, and tumor size > 2 cm. A short RTL did not affect the overall survival of patients with PTC; however, it was associated with poor survival in patients with tumor size > 2 cm and tumor invasion.

CONCLUSION: . This unique study combines the use of RTL with various clinicopathological features of patients with PTC. In conclusion, RTL is a promising tumor marker that correlates with the clinical characteristics of patients with PTC. Specifically, RTL  2 cm and tumor invasion to predict the risk of PTC development and prognosis of the disease. This study will open new horizon in the use of molecular marker such as RTL for understanding its association with increased cancer risk in patients with different clinicopathological features.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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