Author:
Dratwa Marta,Łacina Piotr,Butrym Aleksandra,Porzuczek Diana,Mazur Grzegorz,Bogunia-Kubik Katarzyna
Abstract
AbstractTelomere dysfunction is a notable event observed in many cancers contributing to their genomic instability. A major factor controlling telomere stability is the human telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit (hTERT). Telomere shortening has been observed in multiple myeloma (MM), a plasma cell malignancy with a complex and heterogeneous genetic background. In the present study, we aimed to analyse telomere length and hTERTgenetic variants as potential markers of risk and survival in 251 MM patients. We found that telomere length was significantly shorter in MM patients than in healthy individuals, and patients with more advanced disease (stage III according to the International Staging System) had shorter telomeres than patients with less advanced disease. MM patients with hTERTallele rs2736100Twere characterized with significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS). Moreover, allele rs2736100Twas also found to be less common in patients with disease progression in response to treatment. hTERTrs2853690Twas associated with higher haemoglobin blood levels and lower C-reactive protein. In conclusion, our results suggest that telomere length and hTERTgenetic variability may affect MM development and can be potential prognostic markers in this disease.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC