Association of telomerase gene hTERT polymorphism and malignant gliomas

Background The MNS16A polymorphism is located in the downstream region of the hTERT gene and affects telomerase activity. Methods MNS16A has been investigated as a potential risk factor and/or prognostic marker for malignant glioma in a cohort of 352 patients (205 glioblastoma, 147 anaplastic gliomas) and 305 controls. Results The S (short) allele (which results in a higher telomerase activity) was significantly more frequent in glioma patients compared to the control population (278/704 = 39.5% vs. 200/610 = 32.8%; P = 0.012). The odd ratios were 1 for LL (taken as reference), 1.33 [0.96; 1.84] for SL and 2.05 [1.22; 3.44] for SS. However, in contrast to a previous report, no significant difference of survival was found between SS, LL and SL allelotypes. Conclusion We found here the short allele of MNS16A more frequent in glioma patients, but it did not seem to be predictive of survival.