title: Prognostic significance of apoptotic index and bcl-2 and p53 expression in epithelial ovarian carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if bcl-2 and p53 expression, and apoptotic index (AI) were associated with patient outcome in epithelial carcinomas of the ovary (EOC) and therefore useful as prognostic factors to predict survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 50 women with epithelial carcinomas of the ovary were retrospectively analyzed. The archival paraffin-embedded material of of these cases were evaluated for expression of p53 and bcl-2 by immunohistochemical techniques. Apoptotic cells were detected with an in situ hybridisation method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 33 (66%) of 50 cases showed positive immunoreactivity for the p53 antibody. Twenty-four of the 50 cases showed positive bcl-2 protein expression. Median value for AI was found to be 2.48. No statistically significant association was found between bcl-2 and p53 expression and clinicopathologic features. Univariate survival analysis of AI failed to reveal any effect on prognosis in the study population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found neither p53 nor bcl-2 immunoreactivity to be of prognostic significance in patients with EOC. In addition, AI was not found to be an independent prognostic factor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berker
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dunder
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ensari
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cengiz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Simsek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53