The association between leukocyte telomere length and cigarette smoking, dietary and physical variables, and risk of prostate cancer.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres consist of nucleotide repeats and a protein complex at chromosome ends that are essential to maintaining chromosomal integrity. Several studies have suggested that subjects with shorter telomeres are at increased risk of bladder and lung cancer. In comparison to normal tissues, telomeres are shorter in high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and prostate cancer. We examined prostate cancer risk associated with relative telomere length as determined by quantitative PCR on prediagnostic buffy coat DNA isolated from 612 advanced prostate cancer cases and 1049 age-matched, cancer-free controls from the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial. Telomere length was analyzed as both a continuous and a categorical variable with adjustment for potential confounders. Statistically significant inverse corr

SUBMITTER: Mirabello L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2742954 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature