Clinical significance of serum p53 antibodies in oral cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The incidence and mortality due to oral cancer have increased worldwide. In India, the use of tobacco has been found to be the major etiological factor for the development of oral cancers. Various studies on serum p53 antibodies have suggested their clinical importance as prognostic markers in cancer. However, there is a dearth of data on serum p53 antibodies in oral cancer patients in India. The present study was carried to evaluate the clinical significance of serum p53 antibodies in oral cancer.


METHODS
The serum p53 antibody status was analyzed by means of ELISA in 55 healthy individuals, 60 patients with oral precancerous conditions, 75 untreated oral cancer patients, and 86 follow-up blood samples of the oral cancer patients.


RESULTS
We found serum p53 antibodies in 23% of cancer patients. The frequency of p53 antibody positivity was higher in patients with lymph node metastasis, advanced disease and well-differentiated tumors. Furthermore, p53 antibody positivity strongly correlated with poor treatment outcome in cancer patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significantly poorer disease-free survival in patients with serum p53 antibodies.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest the usefulness of serum p53 antibodies in the prognostication of oral cancer patients.
Sainger
Rachana Narendra Singh
RN
Biochemistry Research Division, The Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Ahmedabad, India.
Shah
Manisha Hasmukhray
MH
Desai
Amisha Anil
AA
Shukla
Shilin Nandubhai
SN
Shah
Pankaj Manubhai
PM
Telang
Shaila Dattatraya
SD
Patel
Prabhudas Shankerbhai
PS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53