Studies evaluating the association between peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) risk have produced conflicting results.
Using available genotype data from the Testicular Cancer Consortium (TECAC), polygenic risk score (PRS) and mendelian randomization (MR) analyses of genetic variants previously associated with leukocyte telomere length were used to assess potential etiologic associations between telomere length and TGCT risk.
Genetically inferred telomere length was not associated with TGCT risk among 2,049 cases and 6,921 controls with individual-level genotype data (odds ratio (OR)=1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI)= 0.97-1.07). MR analyses using summary statistic data further indicated no evidence for an association between telomere length and TGCT risk among all available TECAC consortium participants (3,558 cases; 13,971 controls).
Our analyses in the largest molecular genetic testicular cancer study to date provide no evidence for an association between genetically inferred peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length and TGCT risk.
The lack of evidence for an overall association indicates that peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length is likely not a strong biomarker for TGCT risk.
Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 2021 Mar 18 [Epub ahead of print]
Derek W Brown, Qing Lan, Nathaniel Rothman, John Pluta, Kristian Almstrup, Marlene D Dalgaard, Mark H Greene, Tom Grotmol, Chey Loveday, Stephen M Schwartz, Clare Turnbull, Fredrik Wiklund, Peter A Kanetsky, Katherine L Nathanson, Katherine A McGlynn, Mitchell J Machiela
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute ., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute., Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania., Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet., Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark., Department of Etiological Research, Cancer Registry of Norway., Genetics & Epidemiology, Institute of Cancer Research., Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Center., Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute., Department of Cancer Epidemiology, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute., Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania., Division of Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Institute.