Telomere Length Alterations Associated with Breast, Thyroid and Cervical Cancers

Abstract

Telomeres are specialised structures of eukaryotic chromosomes that are present at each end of chromosomes. Telomeric length acts as a biological clock which helps to determine the life span of a cell and an organism. Telomeric shortening is also associated with various disease patterns including Dyskeratosis Congenita, Parkinson’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis and chronic hepatitis. Any anomality in the telomeric function initiates genomic instability which increases the risk of cancer. Individuals with short telomeres are at increased risk for cancer. This review paper aims to find out the studies pointing out the relation of telomeric length and different types of cancers including breast, thyroid and cervical cancer. A positive correlation has been found in between telomeric shortening and cancer occurrence. Further studies are suggested to strengthen the association of telomere length alterations with specific cancer type.