P53 EXPRESSION AND MUTATIONS IN SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE HEAD AND NECK - EXPRESSION CORRELATES WITH THE PATIENTS USE OF TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL

P53 expression was assessed in 93 head and neck squamous cell carcinom a patients using CM-1, DO-7, and DO-1 antibodies. Sixty eight percent was found to have positive nuclear staining. The frequency of p53 muta tions were investigated in 13 patients using single-stranded conformat ional polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of DNA fragments that had been ampl ified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). P53 gene mutations were analyzed by SSCP in exons 4 to 7 of 13 patients, and nine were found t o have mutations in exon 4; two of these patients also had a mutation in exon 5. In the group of 93 patients, p53 overexpression was found t o correlate with the patients' history of heavy smoking (p < 0.01). We also analyzed the drinking and smoking history of 71 of these patient s by logistic regression analysis and found that heavy smoking correla tes with p53 overexpression (p < 0.05), but heavy drinking was not fou nd to be significant. However when both smoking and drinking histories were assessed together, a correlation was found (p < 0.05). Future wo rk may indicate that specific p53 mutations are associated with patien ts who have a history of heavy drinking and smoking.