Dose-response effect between p53 concentrations, survival and responsiveness in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapy

This study was designed to determine whether patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy for epithelial ovarian cancer could be stratified into groups with different risks for relapse or death on the basis of the expression i n tumor tissue of two proteins, p53 and its downstream mediator WAF1 (CIP1/ SDI1). We found elevated concentrations of p53 in patients with advanced st age disease or poorly differentiated, suboptimally debulked tumors, as well as in patients who failed to respond to chemotherapy. Higher concentration s of WAF1 were more common together with younger age, earlier stage, and th e absence of residual tumor. Moreover, p53 concentrations above the median indicated significantly higher risks for relapse and death, while WAF1-posi tivity was not a significant predictor of favorable outcome. Assessment of p53 expression, but not of WAF1, may be an independent prognostic indicator in ovarian cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.