Volume 13, Issue 9b pp. 3847-3857

Mutations in p53, p53 protein overexpression and breast cancer survival

Pavel Rossner Jr

Corresponding Author

Pavel Rossner Jr

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Laboratory of Genetic Ecotoxicology, Institute of Experimental Medicine AS CR, Prague, Czech Republic

Correspondence to: Pavel ROSSNER Jr., PhD, Institute of Experimental Medicine AS CR, v.v.i., Vìdeňská 1083, 142 20 Prague, Czech Republic.
Tel.: +420–24106-2675
Fax: +420–24106-2785
E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
Marilie D. Gammon

Marilie D. Gammon

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

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Yu-Jing Zhang

Yu-Jing Zhang

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Mary Beth Terry

Mary Beth Terry

Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Hanina Hibshoosh

Hanina Hibshoosh

Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Lorenzo Memeo

Lorenzo Memeo

Pathology Unit Mediterranean Institute of Oncology, Catania, Italy

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Mahesh Mansukhani

Mahesh Mansukhani

Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Chang-Min Long

Chang-Min Long

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Gail Garbowski

Gail Garbowski

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Meenakshi Agrawal

Meenakshi Agrawal

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Tara S. Kalra

Tara S. Kalra

Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Mia M. Gaudet

Mia M. Gaudet

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

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Susan L. Teitelbaum

Susan L. Teitelbaum

Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

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Alfred I. Neugut

Alfred I. Neugut

Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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Regina M. Santella

Regina M. Santella

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

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First published: 29 January 2010
Citations: 36

Abstract

p53 is an important tumour suppressor gene that encodes p53 protein, a molecule involved in cell cycle regulation and has been inconsistently linked to breast cancer survival. Using archived tumour tissue from a population-based sample of 859 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1996 and 1997, we determined p53 mutations in exons 5–8 and p53 protein overexpression. We examined the association of p53 mutations with overexpression and selected tumour clinical parameters. We assessed whether either p53 marker was associated with survival through 2002, adjusting for other tumour markers and prognostic factors. The prevalence of protein overexpression in the tumour was 36% (307/859) and of any p53 mutation was 15% (128/859). p53 overexpression was positively associated with the presence of any p53 mutation (odds ratio [OR]= 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.5–3.2), particularly missense mutations (ER = 7.0, 95% CI = 3.6–13.7). Negative oestrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status was positively associated with both p53 protein overexpression (= 2.6, 95% CI = 1.7–4.0) and p53 mutation (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 2.4–6.5). Any p53 mutation and missense mutations, but not p53 protein overexpression, were associated with breast cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio [HR]= 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0–2.8; HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1–3.6, respectively) and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0–2.4; HR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2–3.4, respectively); nonsense mutations were associated only with breast cancer-specific mortality (HR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.1–8.1). These associations however did not remain after adjusting for ER/PR status. Thus, in this population-based cohort of women with breast cancer, although p53 protein overexpression and p53 mutations were associated with each other, neither independently impacted breast cancer-specific or all-causing mortality, after considering ER/PR status.

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