Racial comparison of p53 alterations in breast cancer: difference in prognostic value

A significant difference in breast cancer survival between blacks and whites has been observed in the United States. Biological variation between races has been suggested to explain the difference. We investigated the difference by comparing the prognostic value of p53 alterations (mutations and protein accumulation) between black and white breast cancer patients. Black, but not white, patients with p53 mutations had a significantly poorer survival than those without p53 mutations (p < 0.05). In contrast, white, but not black, patients having tumors with p53 protein accumulation tended to have a poorer survival than those without accumulation of p53 protein (p = 0.058). Among patients who died of breast cancer, blacks were often to have p53 mutations without protein accumulation, and whites frequently had p53 protein accumulation without mutations. The racial disparities in the associations of p53 alterations with breast cancer survival could have clinical implications in terms of treatment management.