title: William L. McGuire Memorial Symposium. The role and prognostic significance of p53 gene alterations in breast cancer.
abstract: Alterations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene are the most frequent genetic changes found in breast cancer, with an incidence reported in a range of 15 to 50%. The incidence of p53 alterations is approximately 15% for in situ carcinoma, while for invasive node-positive disease it is 2 to 3 times higher. This high rate of alteration suggests that the gene plays a central role in the development of breast cancer. The p53 gene functions as a negative regulator of cell growth. Alterations in the gene lead to loss of its usual negative growth regulation and more rapid cell proliferation. Since p53 alteration can reflect a more advanced state of progression and a higher rate of proliferation, breast tumors that have a p53 alteration could have a greater probability of having micrometastasis. p53 alterations could therefore be a prognostic factor for recurrence after primary local therapy. Consistent with this hypothesis, several independent studies using different methodologies have found that breast tumors with altered p53 have a worse prognosis and are also more likely to have other poor prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7884.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Elledge
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fuqua
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Allred
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000235:genetics; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D005260:Female; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D017354:Point Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D015996:Survival Rate