Combined examination of p27(Kip1), p21(Waf1/Cip1) and p53 expression allows precise estimation of prognosis in patients with gastric carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
In order to estimate the prognostic values of p27(Kip1), p21(Waf1/Cip1), and p53, alone and in combination, we investigated immunohistochemically the expression of p27(Kip1), p21(Waf1/Cip1), and p53 proteins in gastric carcinomas.


RESULTS
The expression of p27(Kip1), p21(Waf1/Cip1), and p53 was immunohistochemically examined in 140 gastric carcinomas. Positive expression of p27(Kip1) and p21(Waf1/Cip1) correlated significantly with a favourable prognosis (P < 0.05), whereas, positive expression of p53 tended to correlate with poor prognosis. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that TNM stage of tumour (P < 0.001), lymph node state (P=0.005), and p27(Kip1) expression (P=0.006) were independent prognostic factors. A striking stratification of mortality rate was found when patients were divided into four groups according to the expression of p21(Waf1/Cip1) and p27(Kip1). The mortality rate was higher in patients with both p21(Waf1/Cip1)- and p27(Kip1)-negative gastric carcinoma than in patients with one or both positive carcinomas (P < 0.01). In addition, if the four p21(Waf1/Cip1)/p27(Kip1) groups were compared based on p53 status, p53+ cases tended to have a higher mortality rate than p53- cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that low expression of both p27(Kip1) and p21(Waf1/Cip1), could be useful as markers of poorer prognosis, and the combined examination of p27(Kip1), p21(Waf1/Cip1) and p53 expression allows reliable estimation of prognosis for patients with gastric carcinoma.
Liu
X P
XP
Department of Pathology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, 1-1-1 Minami-Kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan. xpliu@po.cc.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp
Kawauchi
S
S
Oga
A
A
Suehiro
Y
Y
Tsushimi
K
K
Tsushimi
M
M
Sasaki
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis
C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27