Immunohistochemical detection of p53 protein as a prognostic indicator in prostate cancer.

Abstract Mutation of the p53 gene is the most common genetic alteration in human cancers. The mutant p53 protein is more stable than the wild type and can be detected by immunohistology. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the immunohistological detection of p53 protein in prostate cancer and its utility as a prognostic indicator. We used a monoclonal anti-p53 antibody and immunostained primary prostate adenocarcinomas (stages Al to Dl) from 109 patients with a mean follow-up of 3.8 years (range, 1.3 to 9.3 years). Immunoreactivity for p53 was seen in 23 cancers (21%). There were 12 instances of progression (14%) among the p53-negative cancers versus seven (30%) among the p53-positive group. Survival analysis using three univariate statistical tests showed that p53 reactivity ( P P P P P P