Low detection rate of p53 antibodies in sera of soft tissue sarcoma patients

Accumulation of the p53 gene product can lead to its immunogenic appearance and the generation of p53 serum antibodies (p53ab). In different cancer ty pes the occurrence of detectable p53ab has an independent prognostic impact . In spite of the known p53 protein overexpression rate in soft tissue sarc omas (STS), up to 70%, there have been no investigations done on p53ab in s erum in STS patients. In this prospective study of 50 STS patients, we inve stigated the presence of serum p53ab using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent a ssay system and the presence of p53 overexpression in the appropriate tissu e specimen immunohistochemically. Using Kruskal-Wallis chi (2) and Kaplan-M eier tests the results were then correlated to histopathological and clinic al data. Six of the 50 patients (12%) showed p53ab detectable in the serum, and 56% (28/50) of the tumors were p53 immunohistochemically positive. Fou r of the six p53ab positives (66%) had immunohistochemically p53 positive a nd two (33%) had negative tumors. Altogether four of the 50 patients (8%) w ere positive for p53ab in serum as well as for p53 immunohistochemistry in tumor tissue specimens. Twenty patients (40%) were negative for both. All o f the p53ab positive patients had stage I or II tumors. Excluding tumor sta ge there was no p53ab correlation to histopathological, clinical or prognos tic parameters. We conclude that in STS patients, p53ab also occurs but in contrast to other tumor types at a relatively low frequency. According to o ur results, the clinical value of p53ab seems to be limited in STS patients . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.