p53 antibodies in the sera of patients with various types of cancer: A review

p53 antibodies (p53-Abs) were discovered 20 years ago during the course of tumor-associated antigens screening. The discovery of p53 mutation and accu mulation of p53 in human tumors shed new light on the p53 humoral response. In the present review, we have compiled more than 130 papers published in this specific field since 1992, We demonstrate that p53-Abs are found predo minantly in human cancer patients with a specificity of 96%, Such antibodie s are predominantly associated with p53 gene missense mutations and p53 acc umulation in the tumor, but the sensitivity of such detection is only 30%, It has been demonstrated that this immune response is due to a self-immuniz ation process linked to the strong immunogenicity of the p53 protein. The c linical value of these antibodies remains subject to debate, but consistent results have been observed in breast, colon, oral, and gastric cancers, in which they have been associated with high-grade tumors and poor survival. The finding of p53-Abs in the sera of individuals who are at high risk of c ancer, such as exposed workers or heavy smokers, indicates that they have p romising potential in the early detection of cancer.