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Expression of p53 protein has no independent prognostic value in breast cancer
Author(s) -
Pietiläinen Timo,
Lipponen Pertti,
Aaltomaa Sirpa,
Eskelinen Matti,
Kosma VeliMatti,
Syrjänen Kari
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711770303
Subject(s) - breast cancer , oncology , p53 protein , value (mathematics) , medicine , cancer , expression (computer science) , p53 expression , cancer research , biology , immunohistochemistry , statistics , mathematics , computer science , programming language
A series of 392 female breast carcinomas was analysed immunohistochemically for expression of p53 protein with special emphasis on the role of p53 as an independent prognostic factor. Altogether, 54·8 per cent of the carcinomas expressed p53 protein, with the mean [standard error (SE)] fraction of positive nuclei being 17·1 per cent (1·2 per cent). Expression of p53 protein was independent of tumour metastasis at diagnosis, axillary lymph node status, tumour diameter, histological type, tubule formation, proportion of intraductal growth, margin formation, necrosis, DNA ploidy, and S‐phase fraction. A high fraction of p53‐positive nuclei was significantly related to patient age under 70 years, high grade, severe nuclear pleomorphism, dense infiltration of tumour by lymphocytes, high mitotic index, and high apoptotic index (for all, P <0·05). Impaired survival probability in the entire cohort ( P =0·05) and in the axillary lymph node‐positive (ANP) tumours ( P =0·015) was associated with a fraction of p53‐positive nuclei less than 25 per cent, while in the axillary lymph node‐negative (ANN) tumours, expression of p53 had no prognostic value. In multivariate analysis, independent prognostic predictors included axillary lymph node status, tumour diameter, and mitotic index. In the ANN tumours, tumour diameter, fraction of p53‐positive nuclei, and tumour grade were independent prognostic factors, whereas in the ANP tumours, diameter and mitotic index were the two independent prognostic factors. The results suggest that abnormal expression of p53 protein is only a weak independent prognostic factor in female breast cancer.