Titration of serum p53 antibodies in patients with gastric cancer: a single-institute study of 40 patients.
BACKGROUND
Alterations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene are the most commonly observed genetic abnormalities in many different types of human malignancies. The accumulation of mutant p53 often leads to the production of p53 antibody (p53-Ab) in the sera of patients with various cancers. To evaluate the clinical implications of serum p53-Abs in patients with gastric cancer, we compared p53-Abs with conventional tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA)19-9.


METHODS
Serum samples were obtained preoperatively from 40 patients with histologically confirmed gastric adenocarcinoma, including 28 (70%) patients in stage Ia. The serum p53-Abs were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using a new version of a highly specific, quantitative p53-Abs Kit (MESACUP Kit II).


RESULTS
p53-Abs were detected in 6 (15%) of 40 patients with gastric cancer, including 3 patients with early gastric cancer. Seven (17.5%) of the 40 patients were positive for CEA in serum. However, none of 7 patients with high CEA levels were positive for p53-Abs. No significant correlation of p53-Abs with patient age, sex, pathological parameters, tumor markers such as CEA and CA19-9, or poor survival (P = 0.116) was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Although we employed the latest version of the p53-Abs Kit, the sensitivity of serum p53-Ab in gastric cancer patients was relatively low. No correlation was found between the presence of p53-Ab and the staging of cancer or survival. However, serum p53-Ab was detectable in patients with gastric cancer even in the early stages of disease. In addition, it may be independent of CEA and CA19-9.
Shimizu
Keiji
K
Department of Surgery, Division of Digestive Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kawaramachi-dori Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
Ueda
Yuji
Y
Yamagishi
Hisakazu
H
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011300:Preoperative Care; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D015996:Survival Rate; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53