Prediagnostic telomere length and risk of B‐cell lymphoma—Results from the EPIC cohort study

• Published in: International journal of cancer Vol. 135; no. 12; pp. 2910 - 2917
• Main Authors: Hosnijeh, Fatemeh Saberi, Matullo, Giuseppe, Russo, Alessia, Guarrera, Simonetta, Modica, Federica, Nieters, Alexandra, Overvad, Kim, Guldberg, Per, Tjønneland, Anne, Canzian, Federico, Boeing, Heiner, Aleksandrova, Krasimira, Trichopoulou, Antonia, Lagiou, Pagona, Trichopoulos, Dimitrios, Tagliabue, Giovanna, Tumino, Rosario, Panico, Salvatore, Palli, Domenico, Olsen, Karina Standahl, Weiderpass, Elisabete, Dorronsoro, Miren, Ardanaz, Eva, Chirlaque, Maria‐Dolores, Sánchez, María‐José, Quirós, J. Ramón, Venceslá, Adoración, Melin, Beatrice, Johansson, Ann Sofie, Nilsson, Peter, Borgquist, Signe, Peeters, Petra H., Onland‐Moret, N. Charlotte, Bueno‐de‐Mesquita, H. B(as), Travis, Ruth C., Khaw, Kay‐Tee, Wareham, Nick, Brennan, Paul, Ferrari, Pietro, Gunter, Marc J., Vineis, Paolo, Vermeulen, Roel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, NJ Wiley-Blackwell 15.12.2014; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cancer and Oncology; Cancer och onkologi; Case-Control Studies; Clinical Medicine; DNA - analysis; Europe; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hodgkin Disease - epidemiology; Hodgkin Disease - genetics; Humans; Incidence; Klinisk medicin; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Leukocytes - cytology; Lymphoma; Lymphoma, B-Cell - epidemiology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - genetics; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; NHL; Odds Ratio; Prospective Studies; prospective study; Risk Factors; Telomere - ultrastructure; telomeres; Tumors; Europe; lymphoma; telomeres; Risk; Malignant hemopathy; B-Lymphocyte; Lymphoid neoplasm; Non Hodgkin lymphoma; Telomere; Prospective; Cancerology; NHL; Length; Lymphoproliferative syndrome; Cohort study; prospective study; Risk factor; Cancer
• ISSN: 0020-7136; 1097-0215; 1097-0215
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28934

Recent epidemiological investigations have reported on the association between telomere length (TL) and a number of malignancies, including B‐cell lymphoma (BCL). The reported results for BCLs are however inconsistent. We carried out a nested case–control study to determine whether TL is associated with future risk of BCL. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, the relative TL (i.e. the ratio of telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number) was measured in mononuclear cell DNA of prediagnostic peripheral blood samples of 464 lymphoma cases and 464 matched controls (median time between blood collection and diagnosis, 4.6 years). Conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the association between TL and the risk of developing lymphoma and histologic subtypes. TL was significantly longer in cases compared to controls (p = 0.01). Multivariable models showed a significantly increased risk of BCL [odds ratio (OR) = 1.66, 1.80 and 3.20 for quartiles 2–4, respectively, p‐trend = 0.001], diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (OR = 1.20, 2.48 and 2.36 for quartiles 2–4, respectively, p‐trend = 0.03) and follicular lymphoma (FL) (OR = 1.39, 1.90 and 2.69 for quartiles 2–4, respectively, p‐trend = 0.02) with increasing TL. This study suggests an association between longer leucocyte TL and increased risk of BCL which was most pronounced for DLBCL and FL. What's new? Can telomere length affect cancer risk? Earlier studies have disagreed. This study investigated whether the length of these repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosome correlate with the risk of developing B‐cell lymphoma. Using data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the authors conducted the largest prospective study to date on this question. They found that longer telomeres do indeed appear to signal an increased risk of B‐cell lymphoma.