Assessing the Diagnostic Impact of p53, p16, Retinoblastoma and bcl-2 Proteins in Human Papillomavirus-associated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the third-most prevalent disease among women and is mostly associated with the human papillomavirus with a significant number of mortalities. It accounts for more than 95% of cases diagnosed late. The aim of the study was to investigate the involvement of tumor protein 53 (P53), tumor suppressor protein 16 (P16), retinoblastoma (Rb), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) as diagnostic factors in tumor suppression in cervical lesions. A case–control study that used 160 cervical tissue blocks selected from the pathology archives. All blocks used are confirmed cases of cervical samples. METHODS: Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical technique were used to treat samples with the matching antibodies for P53, P16, Rb, and BCL-2 expression as described by Camacho-Urkaray. Analysis of the data obtained from the study was carried out using photomicrographs, charts, graphs, and tables. RESULTS: A positive association between the expression levels of P53, P16, Rb, and BCL-2 with the progression of cervical lesions. It was revealed that P53 had a higher diagnostic effect for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, followed by P16, Rb, and BCL-2, respectively. CONCLUSION: The research shows that the P53, P16, Rb, and BCL-2 proteins are expressed in malignant lesions with moderate-to-severe intensities accordingly and are also closely related to the progression of cervical oncogenesis.