Size Does Matter: Telomere Length and Melanoma Risk

Alterations in genes affecting telomere function have been shown to be associated with melanoma development. Telomeres are affected by age and by exposure to environmental factors that also promote cancer growth. Longer telomeres have been associated with melanoma. To determine whether this association is explained by shared genetic variants, shared environmental effects, or by the effects of cancer on telomere length, investigators conducted a large case-control comparison in 11,108 melanoma patients and 13,933 controls. They compared the groups for presence of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously associated with mean leukocyte telomere length.

Four SNPs, in genes TERC, TERT, OBFC1, and RTEL1, were significantly more comm…