P53 expression in ovarian tumors : an immunohistochemical study

Abstract EN

Objectives : The aim of this study, first, to evaluate the frequency of immunohistochemical expression of p53 in different types of ovarian tumors, second, to correlate p53 expression with age of patients, histological type and grade of tumors, and third, to compare the results with those of others.

Methods : This study was performed on 60 primary ovarian tumors.

Samples were obtained in a prospective and retrospective fashion (cross sectional study).

The samples were collected from Al-Jumhuri Teaching Hospital, Al-Salaam General Hospital, Al-Khansaa Teaching Hospital, and some private Laboratories, during a period of eight months, from June 2009 through January 2010.

P53 expression was assessed immunohistochemically.

Results : The patients' age ranged from 13 to 80 years, with a mean of 43.88 year.

Most of them were in the fifth decade (28.3 %).

Data concerning the age were missing in five patients.

P53 immunoreactivity was observed in 48.1 % of the malignant tumors.

It was positive in 13 of 20 cases of serous adenocarcinoma, in all of the 5 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma, in 3 of 12 granulosa cell tumors, in 2 of 4 endometrioid carcinomas, in 1 of 3 clear cell carcinoma, in 1 of 2 dysgerminomas, and in the one case of Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor.

It was negative in malignant thecoma, malignant teratoma and in all borderline and benign tumors.

Statistically p53 expression was not significantly related to the age of the patients, grade, or to the histological type of the tumors.

It was mainly found in malignant serous tumors (50 %), in the poorly differentiated tumors (47.6 %), and in the 6th decade of age (30.8 %).

Conclusions : P53 was expressed in 48.1 % of malignant ovarian tumors, 80.8 % were epithelial tumors, 15.4 % were sex cord-stromal tumors, and 3.8 % were germ cell tumors, and it was negative in benign and borderline tumors.