Elegant. From MD Anderson: Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes and Lung Cancer Risk

Cancer Res. 2014 Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Telomere Length in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes and Lung Cancer Risk: A Large Case-Control Study in Caucasians.

Sanchez-Espiridion B1, Chen M, Chang JY, Lu C, Chang DW, Roth JA, Wu X, Gu J.

Author information

• 1Epidemiology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Abstract

Telomere dysfunction is a crucial event in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis. Telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes has been associated with lung cancer risk, but the relationship has remained controversial. In this study, we investigated whether the association might be confounded by study of different histological subtypes of lung cancer. We measured relative telomere lengths in patients in a large case-control study of lung cancer and performed stratified analyses according to the two major histological subtypes (adenocarcinoma [AC] and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC]). Notably, AC patients had longer telomeres than controls, whereas SCC patients had shorter telomeres compared to controls. Long telomeres were associated with increased risk of AC, with the highest risk associated with female sex, younger age (<60 years) and lighter smoking (30 pack-years). In contrast, long telomeres were protective against SCC, particularly in male patients. Our results extend the concept thattelomere length affects risk of lung cancer in a manner that differs with histological subtype.