Relationship of tobacco/alcohol use to p53 expression in patients with lingual squamous cell carcinomas

This study examined p53 expression immunocytochemically in 40 lingual squamous cell carcinomas from Dutch patients with known histories of smoking and/or drinking alcohol. 30% of neoplasms showed positive p53 reactivity, suggesting increased levels of p53 protein. No alcohol or tobacco risk factors were evident in 33.3% (4/12) of p53-positive neoplasms whereas only 7.1% (2/28) of p53-negative neoplasms showed an absence of these risk factors. 25% (3/12) of p53-positive neoplasms and 71.4% (20/28) of p53-negative neoplasms were found in patients who had been exposed to both alcohol and tobacco. A similar negative association with p53 reactivity was also found when either tobacco or alcohol were used in isolation. The results contrast with previous observations in head/neck and oral carcinomas and indicate that the association of alcohol/tobacco and p53 expression remains open to question.