Effect of p53 polymorphism on the susceptibility of cervical cancer

Using PCR amplification followed by confirmation with BstU I restriction en zyme digestion, the p53 Pro sequence was determined in tissues from 88 norm al cervices, in 184 cervical swabs with mildly abnormal Pap smear, in 50 sq uamous cell cervical carcinoma specimens, and in 30 cervical adenocarcinoma samples. The frequencies for homozygous proline (Pro-72), homozygous argin ine (Arg-72), and heterozygous proline/arginine (Pro/Arg-72) were 23% (n = 20), 28% (n = 25), and 49% (n = 43), respectively, in normal cervices; 24% (n = 45), 28% (n = 51), and 48% (n = 88), respectively, in samples with mil d dyskaryotic changes in Pap smears; 26% (n = 13), 28% (n = 14), and 46% (n = 23), respectively, in squamous cell carcinomas, and 33.3% (n = 26), 46.2 % (n = 36), and 20.5% (n = 16), respectively, in adenocarcinomas. In the pr esent study, we have found that p53 polymorphism may have a role in the dev elopment of adenocarcinoma but not squamous cell carcinoma. The arginine-en coding allele may thus be an important factor affecting host susceptibility to the development of adenocarcinoma. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Bas el.