TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical significance of telomerase activity in peripheral blood of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
AU - Koyanagi, Kazuo
AU - Ozawa, Soji
AU - Ando, Nobutoshi
AU - Kitagawa, Yuko
AU - Ueda, Masakazu
AU - Kitajima, Masaki
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Ms S. Matsuda and Ms Y. Inaba for their technical assistance.This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan, Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan, and a National Grant-in-Aid for the establishment of a high-tech research center in a private university of Japan.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Background. The presence of tumor cells in the blood stream is considered evidence of a high risk of distant organ metastasis. We examined the usefulness of telomerase activity in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells as an indicator of distant metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods. Telomerase activity was measured in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell and polymorphonuclear cell fractions obtained from blood samples of healthy volunteers mixed with squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, and cell distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. Then telomerase activity of forty-two polymorphonuclear cell fractions obtained from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients was measured. Results. Telomerase activity was detected in polymorphonuclear cell fractions and cell distribution analysis revealed the presence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Organ metastasis was detected in 7 (78%) of the 9 patients with telomerase-positive polymorphonuclear cell fractions as opposed to only five (15%) of the 33 with telomerase-negative cases, and there was a significant positive correlation between telomerase activity and organ metastasis (p < 0.0008). Conclusions. Measurement of telomerase activity in the polymorphonuclear cell fractions is useful for identifying a high risk group for distant organ metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
AB - Background. The presence of tumor cells in the blood stream is considered evidence of a high risk of distant organ metastasis. We examined the usefulness of telomerase activity in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells as an indicator of distant metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods. Telomerase activity was measured in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell and polymorphonuclear cell fractions obtained from blood samples of healthy volunteers mixed with squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, and cell distribution was analyzed by flow cytometry. Then telomerase activity of forty-two polymorphonuclear cell fractions obtained from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients was measured. Results. Telomerase activity was detected in polymorphonuclear cell fractions and cell distribution analysis revealed the presence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Organ metastasis was detected in 7 (78%) of the 9 patients with telomerase-positive polymorphonuclear cell fractions as opposed to only five (15%) of the 33 with telomerase-negative cases, and there was a significant positive correlation between telomerase activity and organ metastasis (p < 0.0008). Conclusions. Measurement of telomerase activity in the polymorphonuclear cell fractions is useful for identifying a high risk group for distant organ metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036191454&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0036191454&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0003-4975(01)03435-X
DO - 10.1016/S0003-4975(01)03435-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 11899203
AN - SCOPUS:0036191454
SN - 0003-4975
VL - 73
SP - 927
EP - 932
JO - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
JF - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
IS - 3
ER -