IGCS 2020: Does the p53 Protein Have Prognostic Value in Breast Cancer?
Posted: Thursday, September 17, 2020
Anissa Ben Amor, MD, of the University Tunis El Manar, Tunisia, and colleagues conducted a study to assess the prognostic value of the expression of the p53 protein in breast cancer. The results of this retrospective analysis were presented during the digital edition of the 2020 International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) Annual Global Meeting (Abstract 1015).
“New biomarkers have been tested in this cancer with prognostic and therapeutic implications,” the investigators commented. “Although several studies have found a correlation between the expression of p53 and the classic prognostic factors of breast cancer, the status of p53 cannot be applied routinely such as tumor stage, lymph node status, and histologic grade.”
Using tissue samples from 35 patients with breast cancer, the investigators conducted an immunohistochemical study of the p53 protein. They sought to analyze the correlation between the expression of this protein and six other conventional prognostic factors: age; tumor size; lymph node invasion; modified Scarff-Bloom-Richardson grade; profile expression of hormone receptors; and HER2.
In this study population, 80% of tumors were found to be invasive breast carcinomas of a nonspecific type. More than half (52%) of these tumors were histologic grade II. According to the investigators, 49% of the patients had lymph node metastases at the time of diagnosis. The expression of HER2, estrogen receptors, and progesterone receptors was observed in 65%, 37%, and 34% of cases, respectively. The p53 protein was expressed in the majority of cases (80%). The investigators could not establish a correlation between p53 expression and the classic prognostic factors. Additionally, the expression of this protein did not appear to be correlated with survival.
Disclosure: No information regarding conflicts of interest was provided.
