The role of anti-p53-autoantibodies in pancreatic disorders.
CONCLUSIONS
Anti-p53-autoantibodies (a-p53-aabs) may suppress the development of distant metastases, but not lymph node metastases. This could explain the significantly prolonged survival of patients with UICC stage III tumors who have a-p53-aabs compared to those without a-p53-aabs.


BACKGROUND
Mutation within the tumor suppressor gene p53 leads to increased intracellular p53 protein levels and an increased antibody formation against this molecule. Altered p53 has been proposed to be associated with poor prognosis, and the present study investigated whether the detection of a humoral response to p53 gives evidence for a prognostic or diagnostic parameter in pancreatic disorders.


METHODS
We screened 145 patients with pancreatic cancer and 95 patients with chronic pancreatitis for the development of a-p53-aab via ELISA and Western-blotting. p53 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
We found that 41% of the tissues of patients suffering from pancreatic carcinoma overexpressed p53, and 15.9% of the patients suffering from pancreatic cancer developed a-p53-aab. In pancreatic cancer, we could exhibit a significant correlation between grading, p53-overexpression, survival, and antibody response against p53. A-p53-aabs were significantly more frequent in patients with stage III tumors (tumors with lymph node metastases, but not distant metastases, p < 0.02).
Gansauge
S
S
Department of General Surgery, University of Ulm, Germany.
Gansauge
F
F
Negri
G
G
Galle
P
P
Müller
J
J
Nüssler
A K
AK
Poch
B
B
Beger
H G
HG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53