Evidence map›Paper›PMID 21467229›Full record

SynthesisCancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology2011

The association of telomere length and cancer: a meta-analysis.

Ingrid M Wentzensen, Lisa Mirabello, Ruth M Pfeiffer, Sharon A Savage

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 286 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
286citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

286 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. The relationship between telomere length and mortality risk in non-model vertebrate systems: a meta-analysis.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2018
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226 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ingrid M WentzensenClinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA.
Lisa Mirabello
Ruth M Pfeiffer
Sharon A Savage

Funding

Genetic Epidemiology of Telomere Maintenance and Cancer EtiologyZIACP010190 · NCI · DIVISION OF CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENETICS · PI SAVAGE, SHARON A. · 2009 to 2025
$10.2M
Genetic Epidemiology of Telomere Maintenance and Cancer EtiologyZ01CP010190 · NCI · DIVISION OF CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GENETICS · PI SAVAGE, SHARON A. · 2006 to 2008
$23k
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 CP010190
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTelomeres shorten with each cell division and are essential for chromosomal stability. Short telomeres in surrogate tissues (e.g., blood cells) are associated with increased cancer risk in several case-control studies, but findings are inconsistent in prospective studies.

methodsWe systematically reviewed studies published prior to August 30, 2010, on the association between telomere length (TL) in surrogate tissues and cancer. There were 27 reports on 13 cancers and/or incident cancer investigating this association. The majority, 16, were retrospective case--control studies, 11 were prospective studies. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine ORs and 95% CIs for these studies.

resultsStudies on bladder, esophageal, gastric, head and neck, ovarian, renal, and overall incident cancer found associations between short telomeres and these cancers. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast, lung, and colorectal cancer reports were inconsistent. Single studies on endometrial, prostate, and skin cancers were null. In a random-effects meta-analysis, short TL was significantly associated with cancer in retrospective studies (pooled OR for the shortest TL quartile compared with the longest: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.75-4.8, P < 0.0001). The pooled OR for prospective studies was 1.16 (95% CI: 0.87-1.54, P = 0.32). All studies combined yielded a pooled OR of 1.96 (95% CI: 1.37-2.81, P = 0.0001) for the association of short TL and cancer. CONCLUSION AND IMPACT: There is suggestive evidence that short surrogate tissue TL is associated with cancer; the strongest evidence exists for bladder, esophageal, gastric, and renal cancers. Additional prospective studies with consistent methodology are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Indexed as

Case-Control StudiesChromosomal InstabilityHumansNeoplasmsProspective StudiesRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsTelomere

Identifiers

PMID21467229
PMCPMC3111877

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.