Expression of p21 and MDM-2 proteins on tumor cells in responding and non-responding patients with Hodgkin's disease

Since the prevention of apoptosis can produce resistance to chemotherapy, a bnormal expression of oncoproteins engaged in the regulation of this phenom enon in tumor cells may give some prognostic information in patients with n eoplasma. To assess this problem in Hodgkin's disease (HD), the cellular ex pression of two p53 downstreams proteins p21 and MDM-2 was evaluated in the lymph nodes specimens obtained from 68 patients at the time of diagnosis, and compared with some clinical and pathological data. Positive immunoreact ion for p21 and MDM-2 on Reed-Sternberg/Hodgkin's (R-S/H) cells was found i n a majority of cases (58.8 and 63.2%, respectively). High expression of p2 1 protein correlated with poor response to the first-line treatment and dis ease free survival in both univariate and multivariate regression analysis, whereas expression of MDM-2 did not give prognostic information in patient s with KD. Expression of p21 and MDM-2 was also compared with p53 protein i mmunoreactivity of R-S/H cells. The p21+/p53+ immunophenotype occurred to g ive particularly negative prognostic information in patients with HD. Diver sity of p21/MDM-2/p53 patterns of R-S/H cells observed in particular patien ts may reflect heterogeneity of apoptosis regulatory mechanisms, as well as differences in p53 gene status.