Polymorphisms in the telomerase complex to predict outcome in patients (pts) with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): Data from TRIBE and FIRE-3 phase III trials.

Abstract

566Background: Telomere/telomerase interplay is involved in the regulation of genomic stability and cellular replicative potential. In CRC, shortening of telomeres promotes early steps of carcinogenesis but the prognostic role of telomere length is debated. High circulating levels of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) appear to be a negative prognostic biomarker and polymorphisms in the telomerase RNA component (TERC) are associated with increased cancer risk. We hypothesized that genetic variants in the telomerase/telomere capping complex may predict first-line treatment outcome in mCRC pts. Methods: The impact on outcome of 21 selected SNPs within 13 genes (TERT, TERC, CLPTM1L, TERF1/2, POT1, ACD, NOP10, NHP2, GAR1, STN1, CTC1) was analyzed through the OncoArray, a custom array manufactured by Illumina, on genomic DNA from blood samples of 451 pts enrolled in two independent randomized trials. TRIBE FOLFIRI/bevacizumab (bev) arm (n=215, mPFS/OS: 9.7/26.2 mo) served as discovery cohort, FIRE-3 FOLFI...