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p53 immunohistochemical positivity as a prognostic marker in intracranial tumours
Author(s) -
SOINI YLERMI,
NIEMELÄ ASKO,
KAMEL DIA,
HERVA RIITTA,
BLOIGU RISTO,
PÄÄKKÖ PAAVO,
VÄHÄKANGAS KIRSI
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1994.tb05235.x
Subject(s) - immunohistochemistry , p53 protein , astrocytoma , pathology , p53 expression , medicine , polyclonal antibodies , glioma , biology , antibody , cancer research , immunology
The frequency and scale of positive p53 immunohistochemistry in 107 intracranial tumours of different types was studied as a possible prognostic marker using a polyclonal antibody CM‐1 which detects both the wild‐type and mutated p53 proteins. Fifty of the tumours (46.7%) showed nuclear p53 positivity with different percentages of positive nuclei. The positivity was concentrated in glial tumours of which 52.8% were positive. Forty‐two of seventy‐four astrocytomas (56.8%), 4 of 12 oligodendrogliomas (33.3%), and 1 of 3 ependymomas (33.3%) showed p53‐positive nuclei. Cytoplasmic positivity, found in 25 astrocytomas, was always associated with nuclear positivity. Some p53‐positive nuclei were seen in 16.7% of the non‐gliomatous tumours, but in all cases p53 positivity was seen in less than 1% of the nuclei. The patients with astrocytomas containing more than 5% p53‐positive nuclei were younger (mean 27.3 years) (p=0.016) and their tumours larger in diameter (mean 4.4 cm) (p=0.05) than those with p53‐negative astrocytomas (mean 41.0 years and mean 3.3 cm, respectively). In p53‐positive (≥1% of nuclei) grade IV astrocytomas, survival time was significantly shorter (mean 7.2 months) than in p53‐negative grade IV astrocytomas (mean 15.5 months (p=0.024). The results indicate frequent p53 expression in intracranial tumours, especially in gliomas. The association of p53 positivity with young age, larger tumour size, and poor prognosis in high‐grade astrocytomas suggests that p53 may be involved in the development of more aggressive types of intracranial tumours. According to these results, p53 immunohistochemical positivity may serve as a prognostic marker in high‐grade astrocytomas.