p53CM1 expression is not associated with prognosis in uterine cervical carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Specimens obtained from 192 patients with Stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated by radiation therapy alone were investigated with an immunohistochemical method for the expression of p53CM1, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes wild and mutant type p53 gene products in histologic materials fixed and processed conventionally. RESULTS: Cancer cells that had positive results for p53CM1 showed a nuclear staining pattern. Of the 192 patients, 99 had tumors that had negative findings (-) for p53CM1, 44 had tumors that were weakly reactive or ambiguous (+/-), 36 had tumors with positive results (+), and 13 had strongly reactive tumors (++). There was no significant correlation between survival of patients and p53CM1 (-) or (+/-) expression or p53CM1 (+) or (++) expression (chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier method, P = 0.466). CONCLUSIONS: The p53CM1 expression in cancer cells is not a predictive factor for the prognosis of patients with cervical carcinoma.