TP53 codon 72 polymorphism, p53 expression, and 1p/19q status in oligodendroglial tumors

The functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in codon 72 of TP53 has been shown to be both a risk factor and a prognostic biomarker in various cancers. Such results were also reported in brain tumors, notably in astrocytomas. This SNP has never been precisely investigated in oligodendroglial tumors. We retrospectively analyzed blood samples of 275 oligodendroglial tumor patients for the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and compared them with a series of 144 healthy controls. Arg/Arg, Arg/Pro, and Pro/Pro genotypes were found in 54.2 versus 60.4%, 39.3 versus 34.0%, and 7.3 versus 5.6% of patients and controls, respectively. This suggests no association between oligodendroglial tumors and the SNP in codon 72 of TP53. Similarly, no correlation was found among the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and prognosis, p53 expression, and chromosomes 1p and 19q status.