Cytoplasmic, but not nuclear, p16 expression may signal poor prognosis in high-grade astrocytomas
Muhamad Thohar Arifin1, Seiji Hama, Yoshinori Kajiwara
1Department of Neurosurgery, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima-Shi, Japan. thohar@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Background:
The negative consequences of the cytoplasmic localization of p16 in patients with high-grade astrocytomas, on their prognosis, was investigated.
Methods:
p16 Expression was examined in 20 anaplastic astrocytoma and 42 glioblastoma patients by immunohistochemical analysis, and the relationship between both cytoplasmic and nuclear p16 expression and prognosis analyzed.
Results:
The cytoplasmic expression of p16 statistically correlated with poor prognosis. On the other hand, no correlation was observed between p16 nuclear expression and patient survival.
Conclusion:
The cytoplasmic immunoreactivity of p16 appears to be an unfavorable prognostic indicator in high-grade astrocytoma patients. The localization of p16 expression should be determined when evaluating the prognosis of these patients.
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