EXPRESSION AND MUTATION ANALYSIS OF THE P53 GENE IN UTERINE PAPILLARYSEROUS CARCINOMA

Background. The status of p53 protein expression was determined by imm unohistochemistry and correlated with genetic analysis and clinical ou tcome in patients with uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC). Meth ods. Twenty-two patients with UPSC were identified and immunohistochem ical staining of p53 protein was performed. Staining was analyzed by q uantitating nuclear reactivity in 500 randomly counted cells per speci men. DNA analysis was performed on the tumors using single-strand conf ormation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of exons 4-10 of the p53 gene, f ollowed by DNA sequencing of all variants. Clinical data and patient s tatus were ascertained from chart reviews. Results. Sixteen of the 22 (73%) tumors were scored as p53-overexpressing as determined by immuno histochemical analysis. Patients whose tumors overexpressed p53 had a statistically significant shorter survival than those whose tumors did not (P < 0.022). DNA analysis of the 22 tumors revealed five with mut ations of the p53 gene. Only three of these mutations were observed in tumors that overexpressed p53. Conclusions. A relatively large percen tage of UPSC tumors exhibited high p53 immunoreactivity. Overexpressio n is correlated with poor prognosis. Positive immunohistochemistry for p53 protein in UPSC is not necessarily indicative of a genetic mutati on.