IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF P53 PROTEIN IN UTERINE SARCOMAS

This study was undertaken to evaluate the frequency and prognostic sig nificance of p53 protein accumulation in uterine sarcomas. Immunostain ing for p53 protein was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 158 patients with verified uterine sarcomas using monoc lonal p53 antibody (DO-1). Antigen retrieval was performed with microw ave oven technique. Nuclear p53 protein accumulation was demonstrated in 45% of the cases, more often in carcinosarcomas (73%) than in leiom yosarcomas (38%) and endometrial stromal sarcomas (27%). A significant correlation was found between p53 protein accumulation and malignancy grade (P = 0.003), mitotic count (P = 0.007), and DNA ploidy (P = 0.0 07), but not to FIGO stage (P = 0.6). The 5-year survival was not infl uenced by level of p53 protein accumulation. In Cox multivariate analy sis, free resection margins at primary surgery (P < 0.0001), tumor dia meter (P = 0.002), malignancy grade (P = 0.0004), and age at diagnosis (P = 0.0001) were found to be of independent prognostic significance while p53 protein accumulation had no significance (P = 0.22). Our res ults indicate that p53 alterations may play an important role in the c arcinogenesis of uterine sarcomas, but in our study p53 protein accumu lation had no impact on prognosis. (C) 1998 Academic Press.