PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - BEATRIZ MARIA DIAS NOGUEIRA AU - CAIO BEZERRA MACHADO AU - RAQUEL CARVALHO MONTENEGRO AU - MARIA ELISABETE AMARAL DE MORAES AU - CAROLINE AQUINO MOREIRA-NUNES TI - Telomere Length and Hematological Disorders: A Review AID - 10.21873/invivo.12142 DP - 2020 Nov 01 TA - In Vivo PG - 3093--3101 VI - 34 IP - 6 4099 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/34/6/3093.short 4100 - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/34/6/3093.full SO - In Vivo2020 Nov 01; 34 AB - Telomeres compose the end portions of human chromosomes, and their main function is to protect the genome. In hematological disorders, telomeres are shortened, predisposing to genetic instability that may cause DNA damage and chromosomal rearrangements, inducing a poor clinical outcome. Studies from 2010 to 2019 were compiled and experimental studies using samples of patients diagnosed with hematological malignancies that reported the size of the telomeres were described. Abnormal telomere shortening is described in cancer, but in hematological neoplasms, telomeres are still shortened even after telomerase reactivation. In this study, we compared the sizes of telomeres in leukemias, myelodysplastic syndrome and lymphomas, identifying that the smallest telomeres are present in patients at relapse. In conclusion, the experimental and clinical data analyzed in this review demonstrate that excessive telomere shortening is present in major hematological malignancies and its analysis and measurement is a crucial step in determining patient prognosis, predicting disease risk and assisting in the decision for targeted therapeutic strategies.