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1The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, España, Metro Manila
2Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
3Research Center for the Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, España, Metro Manila
4Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien City, Taiwan
5Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila
6College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, España, Metro Manila
7Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien City, Taiwan
*[email protected]
Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures critical for genomic stability. Dysregulated telomere length has been linked to cancer development, including breast cancer. This study examined telomere length differences between breast cancer patients and healthy controls in a Filipino cohort to explore its role in cancer progression. Peripheral blood leukocytes from 39 participants (21 breast cancer cases and 18 healthy controls) were analyzed using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Breast cancer cases were stratified by disease stage, comorbidities, and treatment modalities. Non-parametric tests assessed telomere length differences. Breast cancer patients exhibited significantly longer telomeres compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05), with greater variability in the cancer group (10.58–27.71 kb) than in controls (7.88–13.68 kb). Late-stage cases had significantly longer telomeres than controls (p = 0.0442), but no significant differences were observed between early- and late-stage cases. Stratification by comorbidities and treatment modalities revealed no significant differences in telomere length. These findings suggest telomere elongation occurs early in tumorigenesis and persists during progression, potentially reflecting stabilization mechanisms in cancer cells. The study emphasizes the complexity of telomere dynamics and the need for population-specific research. Larger cohorts and advanced methodologies are required to validate these findings and investigate their implications for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
