P53 SERUM ANTIBODIES AS PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR IN HEAD AND NECK-CANCER

p53 antibodies are a new serological parameter of unknown potential in patients with malignancies. Their occurrence has been described in va rious types of cancer patients. The mechanism underlying the immunizat ion process is still unclear. We investigated the incidence of p53 ser um antibodies in 143 head and neck cancer patients with an enzyme-link ed immunosorbent assay. The posttherapy course of two matched study gr oups (n = 38 each), one p53-antibody-seropositive and one p53-antibody -seronegative, was followed up for 24 months. Thirty-nine head and nec k cancer patients (27.3%) were seropositive for p53 antibodies. During the follow-up, the p53-antibody-seropositive patients accounted for m ore local tumor recurrences (n = 12 versus n = 8) and more tumor-relat ed deaths (n = 11 versus n = 5) than did seronegative patients, and se cond primary tumors (n = 9 versus n = 0) occurred exclusively in serop ositive patients. In total, therapy failures (recurrences, tumor-relat ed deaths. second primaries) were observed in 17/38 cases (44.7%) in t he p53-antibody-seropositive group and in 8/38 cases (21.1%) in the p5 3-antibody-seronegative group. These results, after a follow-up of 2 y ears, seem to indicate a prognostic value of p53 serum antibodies for therapy failure in patients with head and neck cancer.