Association of p53 protein expression with tumor cell proliferation rate and clinical outcome in node-negative breast cancer

Background: The p53 (also known as TP53) tumor suppressor gene encodes for a nuclear phosphoprotein thought to regulate proliferation of normal cells. Most p53 mutations result in a nonfunctional protein that accumulates in tumor cell nuclei. These common mutations appear to be involved in the development and/or progression of several neoplastic diseases including human breast cancer. Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate the relationships between levels of mutant p53 protein expression, tumor cell proliferation rate, and clinical outcome in patients with node-negative breast cancer