An analysis of the prognostic significance of p53 status for squamous cellcarcinoma of the oral cavity treated by radiotherapy

The status of the p53 gene in biopsy specimens was analyzed to determine wh ether it is predictive of the outcome of radiotherapy of squamous cell carc inomas of the oral cavity. Biopsy materials were obtained from 45 patients, and the p53 status of each patient was determined using a single-strand co nformation polymorphism analysis. Fourteen of the patients were treated wit h radiation therapy alone; the other 31 patients underwent radiotherapy in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. Twenty-seven patients had tumors with wild-type p53 and 18 patients had a tumor with mutant p53. The initial tumor response was not significantly different between these two groups. K aplan-Meier survival plots (log-rank test) showed that the probability of s urvival was not significantly different between two groups although the pat ients with mutant p53 had a tendency for longer survival (P = 0.2941). Howe ver, among the patients with stage III/IV tumors (n = 24), those with a wil d-type p53 status tended to have longer survivals. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.