Immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein in HPV positive oral lesions

Oral cancer provides a unique model system for the study Of the multistep n ature of cancer. The influence of viruses and tumor suppressor gene inactiv ation are of major importance in this HPVs are small oncogenic viruses whic h are implicated in epithelial carcinogenesis, and p53 is a tumor suppresso r gene with a central role in the prevention of genomic injury. p53 protein defection is usually a synonym for p53 mutation. This study was designed t o determine the immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein in HPV positiv e oral squamous cell carcinomas and hyperplastic oral lesions. p53 was dete cted in 50% (5/10) of HPV positive hyperplastic oral lesions and in 59.41% (22/39) of oral squamous cell carcinomas. These results indicate that HPV a nd p53 protein alterations frequently coexist in the lesions of our study a nd suggest that p53 mutation may be an early generic event in oral carcinog enesis. Moreover, this coexistance reveals that other environmental carcino gens have a more prominent role in oral carcinogenesis, one that overrides the action of HPV.