STUDY OF TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the world-wide spread cancer especially in Africa and East Asia.

Males are more prone to develop hepatocellular carcinoma than females.

Because of the lack of symptoms in the early stage of hepatocellular carcinoma, the patients usually present late, and are in poor clinical condition when they are first diagnosed.

The etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma is diverse and include : chronic hepatitis B virus and hapatitis C virus infections, chronic liver cirrhosis, alcohol intake, high estrogen level, and ingestion of foods contaminated with aflatoxins.

Recently, it was found that, numerous rounds of DNA replications results in loss of DNA sequences on the termini of DNA and consequently loss of protection and stabilization of gene(s) in the subtelomeric regions that may leads to mutation in gene(s) that might be responsible for cancer development.

Telomerase which is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that adds repeated telomere sequences onto the chromosomal ends in order to stabilize the telomere length is activated in malignant cells to maintain these cells immortel.