Effects of chemotherapy on telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and its clinical implications

• Grant number: 12/12257-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo do Tocantins Calado de Saloma Rodrigues
• Grantee: Vinicius Tomazini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate and quantify the effects of chemotherapy on the dynamics of telomere length of human peripheral blood leukocytes in patients with cancer. Samples shall be taken before chemotherapy and after 6 and 12 months of starting chemotherapy in 90 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with (1) Hodgkin's lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, colon cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the head and neck, sarcoma, testicular cancer or pancreatic cancer and thus to correlate changes in telomere length with the chemotherapy used. Secondly, this project seeks to establish whether there is a correlation between accelerated telomere shortening and an increased risk of developing secondary malignancy in this group.(AU)