P53 in breast carcinoma : an immunohistochemical study

Abstract EN

Objectives: The aims of the present study are; first, to find out the relative frequency of p53 overexpression in different types of breast cancer.

Second, to correlate the p53 over-expression with different parameters, including the age and menopausal status of the patient, size, grade, stage, type of the tumor, and the status of axillary lymph nodes.

Third, to compare our results with others Methods: The study was both pro and retrospective and included 60 cases of breast carcinoma.

Data were obtained from archives of the pathology department, at Al-jumhuri Teaching Hospital and collected in a period spanning from August 2008 to January 2009.

P53 over-expression was assessed immunohistochemically .

Results: The patients ages ranged from 25 to 78 years (mean: 51.5 year); most of them were in the fourth decade (41.2%).

There was a significant inverse relation between p53 over-expression and the age of the patients (p<0.001), in which the largest percentage of p53 positivity seen in the third decade.

P53 over-expression was detected in 38.3% of the cases.

P53 over-expression was found in (100%) of medullary carcinoma, 19/47 (40.4%) of invasive ductal carcinoma (NOS), 1/3 (33.3%) of ductal carcinoma in situ, and 1/6 (1.7%) of invasive lobular carcinoma.

P53 over-expression was not detected in mucinous and papillary carcinomas.

There was a significant direct correlation between p53 over-expression and tumor size (p=0.0274), grade (p=0.032), and stage (p<0.001).

There were no statistically significant relations between p53 over-expression and the menopausal status (p=0.262) or axillary lymph node metastasis (p=0.471).

Conclusions: Immunopositivity for p53 tumor suppressor protein was detected in 38.3% of the cases in this study.

P53 over-expression was significantly correlated with patient's age, tumor grade, stage, and size, but no correlation was found with menopausal status and axillary lymph node metastasis.