[No association between p53 overexpression and polarographically measured tumor oxygenation in patients with head and...

Clinical investigation of a potential relationship between the polarographically measured tumor oxygenation and the p53 status in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

In 99 patients with mostly advanced, histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck we estimated the classical tumor parameters (TNM stage, histological grading) the immunohistochemical p53-overexpression (DO-7) and the tumor oxygenation status (Eppendorf pO2 Histograph). The tumor volume and the hemoglobin concentration were evaluated simultaneously.

No statistically significant difference could be detected between immunohistological p53-positive (p53 > or = 10% stained cells) and p53-negative tumors (p53 < 10% stained cells) regarding both the median pO2 and the relative frequency of values < or = 5 mm Hg. Moreover, no statistically relevant differences could be seen between both p53-groups considering the hemoglobin concentration, the TNM stage, the histological grading and the tumor volume.

Our data imply that there is no association between p53-overexpression and tumor hypoxia in head and neck carcinomas. However, this is not necessarily in contradiction to experimental or clinical data that confirmed a relationship between hypoxia and p53-mediated increased malignancy of tumor cells in other tumor entities. The comparable oxygenation status of p53-positive and p53-negative tumors in our study is associated with an analogous clinical tumor aggressiveness of both groups. That could be caused by a hypoxia related but p53-independent selection of tumor cells with a more malignant phenotype in head and neck carcinomas. However, further research is needed to prove this possible relationship.