LEUKOCYTE telomere length showed limited diagnostic value for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), while exploratory gut microbiome data found no significant differences between study groups.
The study evaluated relative leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and gut microbiome profiles among 244 participants with PDAC, chronic pancreatitis (CP), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), or no related risk conditions. The cohort included 37 patients with PDAC, 56 with CP, 99 with T2DM, and 52 controls.
Relative LTL was measured using monochrome multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction, while gut microbiome composition was assessed through 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing in a smaller subset.
LTL varied according to age, sex, and smoking status. After adjustment for these factors, patients with PDAC had significantly longer LTL than controls (p=0.029). However, differences between patients with PDAC and those with CP or T2DM were not statistically significant.
The ability of LTL to distinguish PDAC from controls was limited, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.651. LTL was also not associated with overall survival, reducing its potential value as a standalone diagnostic or prognostic biomarker.
These findings suggest that although LTL differed between PDAC and control groups after adjustment, the marker did not provide sufficient discrimination to support its use independently for identifying PDAC.
Gut microbiome analysis was conducted in 32 participants, comprising 12 with PDAC, 13 with CP, and seven controls. The analysis identified no significant differences in either microbiome diversity or taxonomic composition between the groups.
The researchers therefore indicated that the exploratory microbiome findings require validation in adequately powered cohorts. Similarly, the findings on leukocyte telomere length warrant further assessment in larger prospective studies.
Taken together, the data indicate that LTL has limited utility as a standalone biomarker for PDAC diagnosis or prognosis. Future research could evaluate whether LTL may contribute to a broader biomarker approach, particularly when combined with other markers capable of distinguishing PDAC from related risk conditions.
Reference
Kharazishvili K et al. Leukocyte telomere length and gut microbiome profiles in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and at-risk conditions. Biomol Biomed. 2026;DOI:10.17305/bb.2026.14506.
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