Telomerase and Therapy of Brain Tumors

Telomere is a special structure protects the ends of human chromosomes to degrade. Telomere becomes shorter after each cycle of cell division. However، telomerase is an enzyme activated in cancer cells and germ lines rebuild telomere. However، apparently there is no correlation between telomere length and telomerase activity. The enzymatic activity of telomerase correlates with tumor malignancy. In general، telomerase activity and histological grade are too closely correlated and the results of studies indicate that telomerase activity may be an important malignancy marker in brain tumors. As a conclusion، we can say that activity of telomerase should be considered as a prognostic biological marker of response to treatment.