p53 is correlated with low BMI negative progesterone receptor status and recurring disease in patients with endometrial cancer.
OBJECTIVE
P53 tumor suppressor gene plays a role in endometrial carcinogenesis. Former studies described correlations between p53 protein overexpression in endometrial cancer and prognostic factors, measured by immunohistochemistry. But data is still controversial. The aim of this study was to measure p53 and phospho-p53 overexpression by Western blot and evaluate correlations between overexpression and prognostic and clinical factors. Phospho-p53 seems to be the functional p53 protein and was examined for the first time in endometrial cancer.


METHODS
40 patients with endometrial cancer were included in the study. A control group of 20 patients with normal endometrial tissue samples was used. Western blot was performed for detection of p53 and phospho-p53. Clinical and pathological parameters were obtained from medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using the log-rank test, the Mann-Whitney test for two independent groups and the Fisher's exact test for dichotomous groupings.


RESULTS
In 17.5% of the patients with endometrial cancer a p53 overexpression could be evaluated. There was a correlation between a p53 overexpression and recurring disease (p: 0.014), a negative progesterone receptor status (p: 0.021) and a low BMI (p: 0.022). Only one of 40 patients had a phospho-p53 expression.


CONCLUSIONS
Western blot is a valid method for the detection of p53 overexpression. As other authors described before, p53 overexpression seems to correlate with negative prognostic factors. The correlation between p53 overexpression and a low BMI may underline the relationship between p53 alterations and biological aggressive endometrial carcinomas.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany. seegeralexander@web.de
A
A
Seeger
H
H
Kölbl
I B
IB
Petry
S
S
Gebhard
M J
MJ
Battista
D
D
Böhm
E
E
Steiner
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000378:metabolism; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis*; D012008:Recurrence; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53