Meta-analysis showed significant association of BRAF V600E+/TERT+ co-mutations with lymph node metastasis, multifocality, distant metastasis, tumor recurrence, extrathyroidal extension, and dead of disease.
The coexistence of the two mutations was far more strongly associated with high-risk clinicopathologic features than either mutation alone was, including advanced TNM stage (vs. BRAF<sup>V600E</sup>: odds ratio [OR] = 4.19 [confidence interval (CI) 3.07-5.71]; vs. TERT: OR = 4.66 [CI 2.67-8.13]), extrathyroidal extension (vs. BRAF<sup>V600E</sup>: OR = 3.1 [CI 2.2-4.37]; vs. TERT: OR = 5.66 [CI 3.02-10.6]), lymph node metastasis (vs. BRAF<sup>V600E</sup>: OR = 1.59 [CI 1.16-2.17]; vs. TERT: OR = 2.03 [CI 1.22-3.38]), and distant metastasis (vs. BRAF<sup>V600E</sup>: OR = 11.76 [CI 5.63-24.58]).
We found that the length of telomere DNA decreased and hTERT protein expression increased in the carcinogenesis of esophageal epithelial cells; telomerase activity was significantly upregulated followed by a decrease of PinX1 expression in esophageal carcinoma compared with dysplasia and normal patients, which notably correlated with grade and lymph node metastasis.
to determine correlations between relative quantities of telomerase catalytic subunit m-ribonucleic acid (hTERT mRNA) and conventional clinicopathological parameters (such as site, size and grade of tumour, the presence of regional lymph node metastases, and, in particular, survival) in patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs).
In gastric cancer tissues, nuclear staining rates of p65 and hTERT protein were both significantly associated with the degree of differentiation, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and invasion depth (P<0.05).
Interestingly, hTERT amplification was abundant in superficial spreading primary melanomas, subcutaneous metastases and malignant effusion-derived cells, but completely absent or very rare in primary nodular melanomas as well as brain, bone and lymph node metastases.