[Expression and clinical significance of p53 and c-erbB2 in geriatric women with cervical carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Few reports have reported on molecular biological study of cervivcal carcinoma in eldely woman, So the authors designed this study to evaluate the expression and clinical significance of tumor suppressor gene p53 and oncogene c-erbB2 in the progression of this kind of cancer.


METHODS
Seventy-nine patients with cervical cancer and 23 with cases of normal cervical epithelium in geriatric people were investigated immunohistochemically for expression of p53 and c-erbB2 in paraffin sections.


RESULTS
The expression of p53 in ICC (invasive cervical carcinoma) and normal epithelium were 18.98% and 0%, respectively (P < 0.01), and the rate of c-erbB2 oncoprotein were 43.04% and 34.78%, respectively (P = 0.63). p53 staining in ICC with grade 1, 2, and 3 were 50.00%, 11.76%, and 17.14%, respectively (P = 0.01), and frequency of c-erbB2 oncoprotein were 80.00%, 38.24%, and 37.14%, respectively (P < 0.01). c-erbB2 staining in patients with stage I, II, and III or more were 33.33%, 38.46%, and 51.61%, respectively (P < 0.01), while p53 overexpression was not associated with clinical stage. Percentage of p53 staining in the groups with negative lymph nodes and positive ones were 6.67% and 41.67%, respectively (P = 0.01). While c-erbB2 expression was not associated with lymph node status.


CONCLUSIONS
The p53 overexpression was an important factor in the process of carcinogenesis of elder women with cervical cancer and a predictive indicator for lymph node status. c-erbB2 gene may be activated in the early stage of pathogenesis of cervical carcinoma in geriatric patients.
Huang
Yong-wen
YW
Department of Gynecology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, P. R. China.
Li
Meng-da
MD
Wu
Qiu-liang
QL
Liu
Fu-yuan
FY
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*
D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53