DETECTION OF P53 ANTIGEN EXPRESSION IN CYTOLOGIC PREPARATIONS OF OVARIAN CARCINOMAS

We explored the value of p53 immunostaining in detection of malignant cells in cytologic analyses in ovarian cancer patients. Ninety-six per cent of 23 tumor touch preparations had nuclear staining with PAb240: 44% had nuclear only, 26% had both nuclear and cytoplasmic staining, a nd 26% had cytoplasmic staining alone. Eight of 20 cytospins of perito neal washings from ovarian cancer patients were PAb240 positive, 6 had cytoplasmic, and two had nuclear staining. Cytospins of fluid from 3/ 15 patients with no malignancy revealed cytoplasmic staining of mesoth elial cells. The lack of concordance between staining of primary tumor s and cytospins of peritoneal washings and the apparent reactivity in some benign samples may limit the utility of immunohistochemical detec tion of malignant cells in the peritoneal fluid of ovarian cancer pati ents.