Affiliations: Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow Hospital, Charité, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany | Formerly Department of Pathology, Robert‐Rössle‐Clinic, Campus Berlin‐Buch, Charité, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. rer. nat. Eva‐Maria Fabricius, Charité, Campus Virchow Hospital, Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical Faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, D‐13353 Berlin, Germany. Tel.: +49 030 450 555398; Fax: +49 030 450 555901; E‐mail: eva‐maria.fabricius@charite.de.
Abstract: The survival of patients with a head‐and‐neck squamous cell carcinoma is determined by loco‐regional recurrence and second primary carcinomas. As a complement to histopathology, molecular changes of tumour marginal and tumour distant tissue may confirm curative surgical tumour extirpation. We tested telomerase activity with PCR‐ELISA kits. 20 tumour margin biopsies were chosen by the surgeon from 20 patients. In addition, 3 tissue samples were taken from each of 20 additional patients, one from the carcinoma centre, the tumour margin and one distant from the tumour. 50% of the carcinoma centres were telomerase‐positive. Thirteen of the 40 tumour margin samples showed increased telomerase levels, and in 3 of these residual carcinoma was histopathologically detected. Six of the 20 tumour distant tissues revealed increased telomerase levels. Telomerase positivity in carcinoma‐free tumour margins correlated with a good prognosis. Confirmation of the results in a larger patient group is needed.
