Shorter Telomere Length Again Linked to Cancer: MedlinePlus

Note: medical news article including reference to ovarian cancer

"TUESDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- People who have white blood cells with shorter telomeres may be at a higher risk of developing cancer, especially aggressive cancers that are more likely to kill, new research suggests. Telomeres are the "shoelace ends" that cap and protect your chromosomes and naturally get shorter as you age. Right now, the findings aren't likely to have any clinical usefulness, said Dr. Stefan Kiechl, senior author of a paper appearing in the July 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. But in the future, he added, "telomere length may well become a component of risk scores for cancer manifestation and, eventually, cancer prognosis......"