Original Article


Telomerase activity in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic mass

Radmila V. Karpova, Vladimir V. Levkin, Tatyana Y. Degtyarevskaya, Ksenia S. Russkova, Alexey A. Yushkevich, Arthur A. Tevosyan

Abstract

Background: In this manuscript, we show that the detection of telomerase activity in pancreatic mass tissue provides early evidence of a cancerous process that requires a well-timed surgical treatment.
Methods: Eighty-eight patients with pancreatic mass (both benign and malignant) were involved in the research. Comparative analyses of the data and instrumental methods to define the histological structure of tumor mass and measure telomerase activity have been carried out.
Results: Intense telomerase activity (+++) in the tissue of pancreatic mass determines cancer with high accuracy. One hundred percent of patients with pancreatic cancer had high telomerase activity. In 32.4% of patients with average telomerase activity (++) pancreatic cancer was diagnosed. The average telomerase activity (++) in pancreatic tumors gives an early indication of pancreatic cancer and requires dynamic observation for 6 to 12 months (P<0.05). Low telomerase activity (+) in patients with benign tumors is an accurate sign for confirming a diagnosis.
Conclusions: The detection of telomerase activity in pancreatic mass tissue provides early evidence of a cancerous process that requires a well-timed surgical treatment.

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