Clinical significance of p53 protein expression in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Abstract
Background  Although mutations in the p53 suppressor gene in thyroid carcinoma have usually been detected in anaplastic carcinoma, P53 protein expression has been
detected immunohistochemically in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). In the present study, we examined the immunohistochemical
expression of P53 protein in PTC to investigate the relations between its expression and the clinicopathologic features.

Methods  The study was performed on 68 patients in whom thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection had been performed to treat PTC at
Teikyo University Hospital. Expression of P53 protein was evaluated immunohistochemically in sections of paraffin-embedded
tissue in 68 primary tumors and 196 lymph node metastases.

Results  Overexpression of P53 protein in the primary tumor was observed in 29 cases (43%). Statistical analysis revealed significant
correlation between P53 protein expression in the primary tumor and large tumor size (unpaired t-test: p < 0.01), the presence of lymph node metastasis (unpaired t-test: p < 0.05), and the mean number of lymph node metastases (unpaired t-test: p < 0.05). Although 29 (43%) of the primary tumors overexpressed P53 protein, 143 (73%) of the metastatic lymph nodes overexpressed
P53 protein irrespective of whether there was P53 overexpression by the primary tumor.

Conclusions  The results of this study suggest that immunohistochemistry for P53 in the primary tumor could be useful in the clinical evaluation
of patients with PTC. Moreover, P53 protein overexpression in lymph node metastasis may be useful as a treatment guide or
target for lymph node recurrences.

Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00268-008-9756-9Authors
Naomi Morita, Teikyo University School of Medicine Department of Surgery 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku Tokyo 173-8605 JapanYoshifumi Ikeda, Teikyo University School of Medicine Department of Surgery 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku Tokyo 173-8605 JapanHiroshi Takami, Teikyo University School of Medicine Department of Surgery 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku Tokyo 173-8605 Japan

Journal World Journal of SurgeryOnline ISSN 1432-2323Print ISSN 0364-2313 (Source: World Journal of Surgery)  MedWorm Sponsored Message: Find out how you can get your message across here by sponsoring this MedWorm news feed.