Telomerase is considered a diagnostic marker of malignancy. We investigated the usefulness of telomerase assay for the detection of lymph node micrometastasis.
Sixteen cervical lymph nodes with metastasis of oral cancer and 20 benign lymph nodes were studied. The oral cancer cell line was used to estimate the sensitivity for telomerase assay. Telomerase activity was measured by semiquantitative telomeric repeat amplification protocol.
There was a significant difference between malignant and benign lymph nodes. The telomerase activity of 50 mg of lymph nodes with 103 or more cancer cells differed from that of control lymph nodes. Lymph nodes with 102 or fewer tumor cells expressed similar levels as benign lymph nodes.
In addition to routine histologic examination, telomerase assay is considered a useful tool for the detection of lymph node metastasis in patients with oral malignancy.