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opy because of abnormal Pap results. Demographic information was obtained, including smoking history. The data analysis is not yet complete, but very preliminary results indicate that significant abnormal colposcopy results do correlate with telomerase activity," Boggess says.

"The finding that telomerase can be detected in a Pap smear is not new, but its use as a biomarker for cervical cancer development is new," the researcher notes.

"We need to establish the prevalence of this enzyme and validate the assay for detecting it," Boggess adds. "We also want to find out if we can correlate the genetics of abnormal biopsy with the expression of telomerase in pap smears. So, ultimately, if you're expressing telomerase in your Pap smear, we can say you have genetically altered cells in your cervix, which can be treated. But if you're not expressing telomerase, we can say with greater certainty that a colposcopy and other treatments might not be necessary."

To answer these issues, Boggess and his colleagues plan to recruit women for a larger study to begin in October. "We hope to include women who do and don't have abnormal Pap smears. We'll screen everybody."

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Contact: Lynn Wooten
Lwooten@unch.unc.edu
919-966-6046
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
30-Sep-1999

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