Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Mar 8;361(9360):836-8.
doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(03)12681-5.

Alternative lengthening of telomeres and survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme

V Hakin-Smith  1 , D A Jellinek, D Levy, T Carroll, M Teo, W R Timperley, M J McKay, R R Reddel, J A Royds
Affiliations

Alternative lengthening of telomeres and survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme

V Hakin-Smith et al. Lancet. .

Abstract

Despite advances in the molecular pathogenesis of glioblastoma multiforme, no reliable prognostic markers have been identified. We analysed telomerase activity and telomere lengths in glioblastoma multiformes from 77 patients. 19 patients (25%) had tumours with the alternative-lengthening-of-telomere (ALT) phenotype. Median survival for patients with this phenotype was 542 days (95% CI 114-970) compared with 247 days (224-270) for glioblastoma multiformes with normal telomeres (p=0.0003). Cox's regression analysis showed that this association is independent of age. In patients with non-ALT tumours, telomerase activity did not affect survival (median 287 [199-375] vs 236 [230-242] days, p=0.275). We conclude that ALT is a prognostic indicator for patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types