The Expression of p53 as a Reliable Immunohistochemical Marker for Clinicopathological Correlation of Gastric Adenocarcinomas

For evaluation of the prognostic relevance of p53 expression in gastric cancer, the immunohistochemical tissue status of 66 primary gastric cancer patients was investigated for p53 expression and the association between p53 tissue status and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. p53 immunoreactivity was detected in the nuclei of cancer cells in 42 cases (63.7%). The nuclear p53 immunoreaction was closely associated with tumour location, lymph node metastasis and curability. Tumours with positive p53 stain reactions frequently metastasized to lymph nodes (metastatic rate: 88.3%) in contrast to tumors with negative p53 stain reactivity (59.4%, p<0.005). Immunohistochemical analysis of primary gastric cancer appears to be an accurate and simple method of screening for p53 expression. In combination with common prognostic parameters, determination of p53 tissue status might help to detect prognostically unfavourable subgroups of gastric cancer patients.