Expression of p53 in adrenocortical tumours: clinicopathological correlations

✍ Scribed by McNicol, A. M.; Nolan, C. E.; Struthers, A. J.; Farquharson, M. A.; Hermans, J.; Haak, H. R.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 280 KB
• Volume: 181
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199702)181:2<146::aid-path744>3.0.co;2-7

✦ Synopsis

There are limited data to suggest that abnormalities of p53 expression may be a late event in the development of adrenocortical tumours. This has been investigated further by examining a series of adrenocortical adenomas and carcinomas by immunohistochemistry for p53 expression and a subset for evidence of mutation in exons 5-8 of the p53 gene using polymerase chain reaction/single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR/SSCP). In carcinomas, the findings have been correlated with survival data and with tumour ploidy. Immunopositivity for p53 was seen in 4 of 34 adenomas and 22 of 42 carcinomas. Mobility shifts were identified in 1 of 4 adenomas and 10 of 21 carcinomas. There was no correlation between immunostaining pattern or PCR/SSCP evidence of mutation and either survival or disease-free survival in carcinoma. There was also no correlation between p53 status and tumour ploidy. While these findings support a role for p53 in tumour progression, abnormal p53 expression does not appear to have any significant prognostic effect in carcinoma.