Study of P53 protein expression in colorectal cancer

Mutations of the P53 gene, strictly associated with the carcinogenesis are a commonly observed in neoplastic cells. The aim of this study was the immunohistochemical evaluation of P53 protein expression in colorectal carcinomas and analysis of its relationship to chosen anatomo-clinical and morphological parameters of the tumours. The study used the material obtained during surgical treatment of 74 colorectal carcinomas. Tissue sections were fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde solution, embedded in paraffin and stained immunohistochemically with the antihuman P53 protein monoclonal antibody. The immunolocalization of P53 protein was performed using the Labelled Streptavidin Biotin (LSAB) method. The P53 protein expression was semiquantitatively assessed in neoplastic cells and the reaction present in more than 25% of tumour cells was accepted as the threshold of positivity. No correlation was found between P53 protein expression and tumour histologic type and site, and age and sex of patients. However, P53 protein expression in primary and metastatic tumours was found statistically significantly correlated.