The immunohistochemical and serological determination of p53 protein in patients with malignant lymphomas

The product of mutated p53 gene is a protein with abnormal conformation, impaired DNA binding, and a prolonged half life, the latter of which results in immunohistochemically detectable levels within nuclei of malignant cells. The present study was aimed at the immunohistochemical determination of p53 overexpression in patients with various histological types of nonHodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), with a particular interest in gastric lymphomas. In these patients, as well as in controls, also serological determinations of p53 protein were performed using an ELISA method. Immunohistochemical overexpression of p53 protein was found in 21% of NHL patients, with the highest incidence of p53 immunoreactivity in cases of Burkitt's lymphoma, follicle center lymphoma grade III, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In gastric lymphomas the overall incidence of p53 immunoreactivity was as high as 46%. Serological ELISA determinations of p53 protein in NHL patients and in controls remained below the lowest detection limit of the method in all 128 cases. Considering that p53 mutations are associated with poor response to therapy, and consequently with poor prognosis, it is of great importance to determine the subset of patients that are particularly at risk for an unfavorable outcome and should be treated more aggressively. Immunohistochemical determinations of p53 overexpression represent a rapid and simple, yet somewhat imperfect technique for an estimation of the frequency of mutational events. On the other hand, serological determinations of p53 protein are completely inadequate for the evaluation of p53 status.