Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026
Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts
Published on: July 25, 2020
Alterations in the p53 pathway and prognosis in advanced ovarian cancer: a multi-factorial analysis of the EORTC
J A Green1, E M J J Berns, C Coens
1Division of Surgery and Oncology, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, and Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Free University Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. J.A.Green@liverpool.ac.uk
Purpose:
The study was designed to determine independent prognostic variables in suboptimally debulked advanced ovarian cancer patients entered in the randomised phase III study EORTC 55865.
Experimental Design:
Retrospectively collected paraffin blocks from 169 patients with stages IIb-IV epithelial ovarian cancer, taken at primary debulking surgery, were analysed. All patients were treated with cyclophosphamide and cisplatin (CP), and followed up for a median of 10 years. Expression of p53, bcl-2, P21, Ki-67 and HER-2 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC).
Results:
Expression of p21, a downstream effector of the p53 gene, was found to be a favourable prognostic factor for survival (HR 0.58, CI 0.36-0.94, p=0.025) in addition to FIGO stage (HR 1.54, CI 1.08-2.21, p=or<0.02). For progression free survival (PFS), both p21 (HR 0.52) and Ki-67 (HR 0.6) were significant factors.
Conclusion:
P21 overexpression is a positive prognostic factor for survival and PFS in advanced ovarian carcinoma with residual lesions of more than 1 cm.
Related Concept Videos
02:23Abnormal Proliferation
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis