TERT rearrangement

Coexisting RET/PTC and TERT promoter mutation identify PTC as a unique clinical entity with high mortality, providing new implications for genetic-based prognostication and potential therapeutic targeting of RET and MEK guided by RET/PTC and TERT status.

In conclusion, TERT RNA in situ hybridisation and RT-qPCR are suitable methods to evaluate TERT expression in neuroblastoma. The combination of detection of the genomic alterations and TERT mRNA expression is a powerful strategy for TMM activation detection, which can categorise neuroblastomas into multiple clinical subgroups for risk stratification in routine histopathology practice.

FISH is an easily applicable method for evaluating TERT defects, which define a subgroup of NTs with unfavourable prognosis. TERT rearrangements would contribute to characterising NT molecular signatures in clinical practice.

Our results provide data indicating poor clinical outcome in NB carrying MYCN amplification and TERT-mRNA upregulation.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma with concomitant BRAF-V600E and TERT promoter mutations demonstrated an aggressive course of disease, suggesting the need for a more extensive surgical strategy. RET rearrangement-positive papillary thyroid carcinoma did not affect the clinical outcome, potentially obviating the need for prophylactic lymphadenectomy.

We here propose a workflow to reliably detect TMM in neuroblastoma. We show that unambiguous classification is feasible following a stepwise approach that determines both, activation of telomerase and ALT. The workflow proposed in this study can be used in clinical routine and provides a framework to systematically and reliably determine telomere maintenance mechanisms for risk stratification and treatment allocation of neuroblastoma patients.

Combined expression levels of miR-128-3p and TERT represent a novel prognostic biomarker for neuroblastoma.

Thus, MLPS characteristically shows TERT expression and high prevalence of TERT aberrations. Our findings suggest that TERT aberration is not prognostic factor, but might occur at an early stage and play a key role in tumorigenesis.

In conclusion, TERT gene rearrangements are seen in a small subset (2/55, 3.6%) of chordomas. In contrast to other TERT-rearranged tumors, where the TERT rearrangements are likely passenger events, the possibility that TERT protein overexpression representing a key event in chordoma tumorigenesis is left open.

Patients with HRNB frequently present with widely metastatic disease, with tumors harboring recurrent genetic aberrations (MYCN amplification, TERT rearrangements, and ATRX mutations), which are mutually exclusive and capable of promoting TMM. This review provides recent insights into our understanding of TMM in NB tumors, and highlights emerging therapeutic strategies as potential treatments for telomerase- and ALT-positive tumors.

The aim of the present study was to comprehensively review telomerase activity and its association with the clinical characteristics and prognosis of NSCLC, as well as analyze the potential mechanism via which TERT activates telomerase and determine its potential clinical application in NSCLC. More importantly, current treatment strategies targeting TERT in NSCLC have been summarized with the aim to promote discovery of novel strategies for the future treatment of NSCLC.