Short Telomeres Are Associated with Excess Cancer Incidence and Mortality

The progressive shortening of telomeres — the ends of chromosomes — with each cell division is key to cellular aging and death. Prospective studies have suggested that people with shorter telomeres are at greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease (JW Gen Med Jan 25 2007). But, what about cancer risk?

In a study from one town in Italy, researchers randomly selected 1000 cancer-free people (age range, 40–79), measured their telomere lengths, and followed them for 10 years. Compared with people who had the longest telomeres, those with shorter telomeres had two- to threefold higher risk for developing cancer (after adjustment for multiple factors). Shorter telomeres also were associated with higher cancer mortality rates. Although risk…