Abnormal expression of cripto and p53 protein in endometrial carcinoma and its precursor lesions

Many oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes are involved in multistep carcinogenesis. Cripto is an epidermal growth factor (EGF) related gene which shares homology with EGF and TGFalpha. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of abnormal p53 and cripto oncogene expression in endometrial carcinogenesis and progression using a hyperplasia carcinoma sequence model. Ninety-six primary endometrial adenocarcinomas and 30 hyperplastic tissues of which 7 were atypical (AH), were immunohistochemically examined for the presence of cripto and abnormal p53 protein. Immunopositivity was compared in hyperplastic and carcinoma tissues and analysed for conventional clinicopathological prognostic variables such as grade, depth of myometrial invasion, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastases and clinical stage. Cripto immunoreactivity was strong in most cases of AH, and endometrial carcinomas revealed 71% overall and 41% strong positivity, while hyperplasias without atypia were weakly stained. There was no correlation between cripto expression and clinicopathological prognosticators. Abnormal p53 was not observed in hyperplasias but AH and carcinomas expressed 14% and 25% overall positivity, respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between the stage of the disease and abnormal p53 accumulation. Our results suggest that both cripto and p53 may play a role in endometrial carcinogenesis while abnormal p53 expression is an important parameter for disease progression.