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p53 protein detected by immunohistochemistry as a prognostic factor in patients with epithelial overian carcinoma
Author(s) -
Klemi PekkaJuhani,
Pylkkänen Liisa,
Kiilholma Pentti,
Kurvinen Kaisa,
Joensuu Heikki
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19951001)76:7<1201::aid-cncr2820760716>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - medicine , immunostaining , immunohistochemistry , serous fluid , pathology , ovarian carcinoma , carcinoma , cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , staining , serous carcinoma , ovarian cancer , oncology , biology , paleontology
Background . The clinical significance of p53 suppressor gene nucleoprotein immunostaining in ovarian epithelial cancer has not been determined. Methods . p53 protein expression was studied by immunohistochemistry from paraffin embedded tissue in a series of 136 patients with malignant ovarian epithelial tumors. The median follow‐up time of the patients still alive was 10 years. Results . Sixty (44%) carcinomas stained clearly positive for p53 protein. Positive staining for p53 protein was associated with the serous histologic type ( P = 0.0006), a higher than the median S‐phase fraction size determined by DNA flow cytometry ( P = 0.02), and poor histologic grade of differentiation ( P = 0.04), but not with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, age at diagnosis, or DNA ploidy. Cancers with positive staining had only 17% 5‐year and 9% 15‐year survival rates compared with 42% 5‐year and 36% 15‐year survival rates corrected for intercurrent deaths among the rest of patients ( P = 0.002). In a multivariate analysis, positive p53 staining was associated with poor survival (relative risk of death, 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–2.9) together with less than radical surgery (nonradical vs. radical: RR, 5.5; 95% CI, 2.2–13.6), and advanced FIGO stage (RR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0–2.0). Conclusion . Although p53 protein immunostaining is associated with several other prognostic factors in epithelial ovarian cancer, it may also have independent prognostic value in this disease.