Elevated levels of telomerase expression, detected in 75-100% of patients, and high telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) levels (> 93.8 copies) in cancer tissues have been linked to worse survival compared to cases with low TERT levels (< 93.8 copies; HR, 3.30; 95% CI: 1.98-5.52; p < 0.0001) (66). Here, TERT is linked to cancer.