Detecting cell-free circulating hTERT mRNA in the plasma may identify a subset of nonsmall cell lung cancer patients

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology Vol. 448; no. 1; pp. 7 - 15
• Main Authors: PELOSI, Giuseppe, SCHIANCHI, Elisabetta, DELL'ORTO, Patrizia, VERONESI, Giulia, SPAGGIARI, Lorenzo, PASINI, Felice, SOZZI, Gabriella, BRAMBILLA, Elisabeth, GRISO, Claudia, VIALE, Giuseppe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.01.2006; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - blood; Adenocarcinoma - diagnosis; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Cancer; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - blood; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - blood; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - diagnosis; DNA-Binding Proteins - blood; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - blood; Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Plasma; Pneumology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - analysis; Telomerase; Telomerase - blood; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Human; Catalytic subunit; Lung disease; Plasma; Respiratory disease; Enzyme; Free form; mRNA; Malignant tumor; non-small cell lung carcinoma; Real time; Blood plasma; Polymerase chain reaction; Nonsmall cell lung cancer; Anatomic pathology; Messenger RNA; Real-time PCR; Bronchus disease; Diagnosis; hTERT; Detection; Cell; Telomerase
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s00428-005-0087-z

Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), the catalytic subunity of telomerase, a marker of cell immortalization, is upregulated in most tumors, including nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about the role of assessing cell-free plasma circulating hTERT mRNA for tracing these tumors. We investigated by RT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time quantitative PCR the prevalence and functional implications of hTERT mRNA in both tumor tissue and paired plasma samples in 34 (27 males and 7 females) stages I-IIIB NSCLC patients (21 adenocarcinomas and 13 squamous-cell carcinomas) by using intron- and exon-spanning primers. Plasma samples of ten healthy volunteers and normal lung tissue were used as negative controls. We detected hTERT mRNA in the plasma of 4 out of 34 (12%) tumor patients, but none was detected in the ten plasma samples of healthy volunteers. Normal lung tissue was completely devoid of hTERT mRNA. No association was found between hTERT plasma mRNA and clinicopathologic variables of the patients' population. We conclude that cell-free circulating hTERT mRNA is detectable in a subset of patients, whereas it is consistently absent in healthy volunteers. It can be added to the panel of multiple genetic tracers to detect lung cancer in the plasma of patients, although, per se, it is not specific for this tumor.