title: Prognostic value of p53 molecular status in high-risk primary breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mutations in the p53 gene are the most common genetic alterations in human primary breast carcinoma and these mutations are often associated with worse prognosis and chemo/radioresistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis of the p53 gene was performed by fluorescence-assisted mismatch analysis in 13 consecutive high-risk primary breast cancer (HR-BC) patients with 10 or more involved axillary nodes to evaluate its prognostic value.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three p53 mutations (23%) and four allelic variants were detected. After a median follow-up of 52 months the HR-BC disease-free survival (DFS) was 51% and overall survival 79%. All patients harboring a p53 mutation (p53(mut)) relapsed within 10 months of the median DFS while 67% of those showing a wild-type p53 status (p53(wt)) survive disease-free at a median follow-up of 43 months. One p53(mut) patient is still alive while all the p53(wt) patients survive at 56 months median follow-up. Two out of the four p53(wt) relapsing breast cancer patients showed the Arg72Pro allelic variant; one of these died at 75 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  p53 mutations may help identify a subset of very high risk breast cancer patients (vHR-BC) with worse prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cannita
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ricevuto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Galitiis
authors.forename: Z C
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Di Rocco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tessitore
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bisegna
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Porzio
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: De Rubeis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martinotti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ficorella
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016158:Genes, p53 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors