An immunohistochemical study of bcl-2 and p53 protein expression in pancreatic carcinomas.
BACKGROUND
Only a few articles have examined the relationship between bcl-2 expression and clinical findings or bcl-2 expression and p53 expression in pancreatic carcinomas.


METHODS
We investigated bcl-2 protein and p53 protein expression by means of immunohistochemical methods.


RESULTS
The immunostaining for bcl-2 was positive in 16 (20%) of 81 cases of pancreatic carcinoma. There were no significant correlations between bcl-2 expression and the age, gender, region of sampling, or clinical stage of the patients. Bcl-2 protein was detected more frequently in histologically high-grade pancreatic carcinomas (grade III, 31%; grade II, 14%; grade I, 0%); however, there was no significant difference in prognosis between patients with and without bcl-2 protein expression. Immunostaining for the p53 protein was positive in 45 (56%) of 81 cases of pancreatic carcinoma. There was no significant correlation between bcl-2 protein expression and p53 protein expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Bcl-2 was often detected in histologically high-grade pancreatic carcinomas, although there was no significant correlation between bcl-2 expression and the prognosis.
Ohshio
G
G
Dept. of Surgery and Surgical Basic Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
Suwa
H
H
Imamura
T
T
Yamaki
K
K
Tanaka
T
T
Hashimoto
Y
Y
Imamura
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53