title: Inverse correlation between the expression of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in primary gastric lymphoma.
abstract: The immunohistochemical expression of bcl-2 and p53 proteins was evaluated in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 212 patients with primary gastric lymphoma. bcl-2 protein was found to be expressed in 145 specimens (68%). Among the 179 specimens with B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), bcl-2 positivity decreased significantly as the histological grade advanced; bcl-2 was expressed in 93% of low-grade tumors, 88% of mixed-grade (low-grade with a focal high-grade component) tumors, and 44% of high-grade tumors (Cochran's linear trend test; P<.001). p53 protein expression was detected in 43 of 212 cases (20%). Among the B-cell MALT lymphomas, p53 positivity increased significantly as the histological grade advanced; p53 was expressed in 6% of low-grade tumors, 12% of mixed-grade tumors, and 31% of high-grade tumors (Cochran's linear trend test; P<.001). An inverse correlation was observed between the expression of bcl-2 and p53 in all 212 lymphomas (gamma = -0.531; P<.05) as well as in all 179 B-cell MALT lymphomas (gamma = -0.671; P<.01). Although the bcl-2 expression did not correlate with the patient survival, the p53 positive cases showed a significantly poorer prognosis compared with the p53 negative cases (log-rank test; P<.05). These results suggest that the expression of bcl-2 and p53 may, therefore, be associated with the transition from low-grade to high-grade tumors in primary gastric lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Pathology and the Department of Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akazawa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinukawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuneyoshi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000906:Antibodies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53