Shorter telomere length of T-cells in peripheral blood of patients with lung cancer

Telomere shortening occurs in tumor tissues and peripheral blood lymphocytes of many common human malignancies, including lung cancer, but its variation in T-cells has never been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess telomere length in T-cells and its correlation with the clinical characteristics of patients with lung cancer. A total of 40 patients with lung cancer but without prior cancer history and 25 healthy individuals were selected. T-cells were isolated and their telomere lengths were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction methods. Telomere length in T-cells was significantly shorter in patients with lung cancer than in controls (P