P53 AUTOANTIBODIES IN THE SERA, CYST AND ASCITIC FLUIDS OF PATIENTS WITH OVARIAN-CANCER

The presence of p53 autoantibodies and p53 protein overexpression in o varian carcinoma patients were determined and compared. p53 antibodies were detected in sera samples, cyst and/or ascitic fluids of individu al patients by two separate techniques (ELISA assay and immunoblot). p 53 protein accumulation was assessed immunohistochemically in tissue s ections and corresponding tumor effusion cells. The relations between p53 overexpression, the presence of p53 autoantibodies and histology o f tumors, grade of differentiation and clinical stage of the disease w ere considered. p53 expression was found in 20 of 46 (43.5%) ovarian c arcinomas and significant relationship between p53 reactivity in tumor tissue and effusion cells in individual patients was evident. In the subset of carcinomas with detectable p53 accumulation only two cases ( one serous, one endometrioid) were associated with the presence of p53 autoantibodies (10%). Among 26 p53-negative carcinomas also two cases (7.6%) were seropositive. The strong correlation between the presence of p53 autoantibodies in the sera and respective cyst or ascitic flui ds were revealed with no exception of this coincidence. There was no a ssociation between the detection of antibodies against p53 and FIGO st age and tumor grade. Our results clearly indicate that p53 overexpress ion is not sufficient to elicit p53 humoral response in ovarian carcin oma patients. The presence of p53 autoantibodies in this type of cance r is not a frequent event and their importance as independent prognost ic factor seems to be very limited.