title: Detection of the TP53 tumour suppressor gene product and p53 auto-antibodies in the ascites of women with ovarian cancer.
abstract: Antibodies against the P53 tumour suppressor gene product are present in the serum of many cancer patients, but with varying frequencies ranging from 0 to 30%. Approximately 15-20% of patients with ovarian carcinoma develop auto-antibodies against p53 that circulate in the serum. Since many ovarian cancer patients develop ascites during their disease, we speculated that p53 antigen and/or p53 auto-antibodies may be present in this biological fluid. Ninety-six ascites fluids from women with primary ovarian cancer and one from a patient with cancer of the breast, which metastasised to the ovaries, were analysed for p53 auto-antibodies. Seventeen ascites fluids (18%) contained auto-antibodies. For 30 of these patients, serum was also available. Auto-antibodies were present in both serum and ascites in 6/30 patients; 22 patients were negative in both ascites and serum; and 2 patients had auto-antibodies only in their serum. All 97 ascites fluids were also analysed for p53 antigen and 7 (7%) were positive. None of the 17 p53 auto-antibodies-positive ascites fluids were positive for p53 antigen suggesting that p53 auto-antibodies may interfere with p53 antigen detection by capturing the antigen. In total, 24 patients (25%) had either p53 auto-antibodies or p53 protein in their ascites fluid. These data demonstrate that p53 auto-antibodies and/or p53 protein are present in ascites and may have some value for tumour diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Angelopoulou
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Diamandis
mesh_terms: D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53