p53 accumulation in benign breast biopsy specimens.
Several studies of benign breast lesions using methacran-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues and cytological preparations have suggested that p53 accumulation in these lesions as detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining is rare to absent. As a result, several different investigators have suggested that p53 immunoreactivity in breast specimens infers a diagnosis of malignancy or may identify premalignant lesions. We immunostained 271 breast biopsy specimens from 271 patients with the monoclonal anti-p53 antibody BP-53-12 and found positive nuclear staining in seven of 23 malignant lesions (30%) and 39 of 248 benign biopsy specimens (16%). Of the benign lesions, 30% of fibroadenomas, nonpremalignant breast lesions, were positive. Long-term follow-up information was available on 48 patients with benign biopsy specimens and showed that 12% of those positive and 7% of those negative for p53 developed breast carcinoma. This difference was not significant (P > .2). We conclude that (1) p53 immunoreactivity in breast lesions should not be used as exclusive evidence of malignancy and (2) p53 immunoreactivity in benign breast lesions may not identify a subset of patients at increased risk for breast carcinoma.
Younes
M
M
Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030.
Lebovitz
R M
RM
Bommer
K E
KE
Cagle
P T
PT
Morton
D
D
Khan
S
S
Laucirica
R
R
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001706:Biopsy; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D012307:Risk Factors
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal