Objective: To investigate telomerase activity and its clinical value in human non small cell lung cancer.
Methods: Using the method of TRAP-PCR-ELISA, we measured telomerase activity in human non small cell lung cancerous, adjacent, lung benign lesion, and normal lung tissues.
Results: The positive rate of telomerase activity was 75%(27/36) in lung cancerous tissues; 6.25%(2/32) in adjacent tissues; 11.1%(1/9) in lung benign lesion tissues; and 0%(0/9) in normal lung tissues. There was no significant difference in telomerase activity among the pathological type, the degree of tissue differentiation, the size of tumor, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage in the patients with lung cancer.
Conclusion: The telomerase activity may become an important molecular marker in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of human non small cell lung cancer.