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Comparison of p16 INK4a expression with p53 alterations in head and neck cancer by tissue microarray analysis
Author(s) -
Karsai S,
Abel U,
RoeschEly M,
Affolter A,
Hofele C,
Joos S,
Plinkert PK,
Bosch FX
Publication year - 2007
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.2100
Subject(s) - tissue microarray , immunohistochemistry , biology , cancer research , cancer , pathological , cohort , head and neck cancer , head and neck , pathology , oncology , medicine , genetics , surgery
We investigated whether there is a relationship between loss of p16 INK4a protein expression and p53 alterations in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). For this purpose, immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays of 664 tumours; this represents the largest HNSCC cohort studied for molecular biomarkers. Loss of p16 INK4a protein expression was associated with aberrant p53 expression (negative or overexpressed) in the total cohort, and with TP53 mutations in 200 tumours analysed ( p < 0.0001 each). Both loss of p16 INK4a expression and p53 alterations differed significantly across both tumour sites and stages, being more prevalent in the hypopharynx than in the other tumour sites and in advanced tumour stages. As a possible link between p53 status and p16 INK4a loss, we found that increased DNA methyltransferase 1 protein levels occurred preferentially in tumours with aberrant p53 ( p = 0.001) and negative p16 INK4a expression ( p = 0.0004). In the total cohort, there was a borderline significant difference in patient survival across three p16 INK4a expression levels (negative, positive, high), with loss of p16 INK4a expression showing shortest survival. It is suggested that loss of p16 INK4a expression and p53 alterations should be viewed as related events involved in the early carcinogenic process. Copyright © 2006 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.