Immunohistochemical analysis of p53 protein over-expression in endometrial carcinomas: inverse correlation with sex steroid receptor status.
Mutations of the tumour suppressor p53 gene have been reported in a variety of human malignant tumours, and are frequently associated with over-expression of p53 protein. To examine the significance of p53 gene alteration in endometrial carcinomas, we studied the immunohistochemical reactivity with a monoclonal antibody against p53 (PAb 1801) in 30 endometrial carcinomas as well as in 64 normal endometria. The presence or absence of correlation of p53 over-expression with the clinicopathological features and with the immunohistochemical expression of sex steroid receptors (oestrogen receptors; ER, progesterone receptors; PR) was also analysed. Expression of p53 was found in none of 64 normal endometria, but was identified in 5 of the 30 (16.7%) endometrial carcinomas. All 5 of the p53-positive tumours developed in women more than 3 years post-menopause, whereas the carcinomas in 5 pre-menopausal women and 3 women less than 3 years post-menopause were p53-negative. None of the 5 p53-positive carcinomas was associated with adjacent endometrial hyperplasia. Two of the 5 p53-positive tumours showed non-endometrioid histology: serous papillary and clear cell carcinomas. In contrast, 6 carcinomas accompanied by adjacent hyperplasia were p53-negative. In addition, ER and/or PR expression was found in none of the 5 p53-positive tumours, but was present in 21 of the 25 p53-negative tumours (p < 0.01). These clinicopathological features of p53-positive carcinomas and the inverse correlation of p53 immunoreactivity with sex steroid receptor status suggest that p53 over-expression is frequent in a specific category of endometrial carcinoma, presumably oestrogen-unrelated tumours.
Koshiyama
M
M
Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Konishi
I
I
Wang
D P
DP
Mandai
M
M
Komatsu
T
T
Yamamoto
S
S
Nanbu
K
K
Naito
M F
MF
Mori
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53