2021: Telomerase and Cancer: A Complex Relationship

Abstract

Telomere elongation is protective of genomic stability, whereas telomere shortening increases genomic instability and thereby increases cancer risk. Long telomeres lower the risk of clinical cancer, while short telomeres are part of a causal cascade of intracellular events that result in oncogenesis and, ultimately, clinical cancer. Telomerase therapy is not only unlikely to result in an increased risk of cancer but is likely to lower the risk of cancer compared to age-matched patients not treated with telomerase therapy. Review of available data suggests that cancer should not be considered a significant risk to patients undergoing telomerase therapy.

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