RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE To explore the relationship of telomerase and canceration of sinonasal inverted papilloma(IP). METHODS Telomerase activity was measured by hybridization in situ in sinonasal mucosa of 10 cases of chronic in?ammation, 45 cases of sinonasal IP with dysplasia(45 cases were divided into three groups: IP with mild dysplasia, IP with moderate dysplasia and IP with severe dysplasia, 15 cases in each group), and 21 cases of cancerated sinonasal IP. RESULTSThe positive expression rates of telomerase was 0% in sinonasal mucosa with chronic inflammation, 0% in sinonasal IP with mild dysplasia, 13.3% in sinonasal IP with moderate dysplasia, 73.3% in sinonasal IP with severe dysplasia and 80.9% in cancerated sinonasal IP. CONCLUSION Telomeras plays a critical role in malignant transformation of sinonasal IP, and it is a marker of malignant transformation tendency of sinonasal IP.