p53 expression is common in malignant mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of p53 expression is common in malignant mesothelioma, by G. Kafiri, D.M. Thomas, N.A. Shepherd, et al (Histopathology, 1992).

The study

• Authors: G. Kafiri, D.M. Thomas, N.A. Shepherd, T. Krausz, D.P. Lane, P.A. Hall
• Journal: Histopathology
• Published: 1992;21(4):331-4
• Cited by: 60 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The p53 tumour suppressor gene has been shown to be frequently mutated in a wide range of human neoplasms. This is accompanied by increased levels of p53 protein which become immunologically detectable in pathological material. We have investigated the possibility that the differential diagnosis between reactive and neoplastic mesothelium might be resolved using a polyclonal serum raised to human p53 protein, CM-1. None of 20 cases of reactive mesothelial proliferation showed p53 immunoreactivity while 70% (14 of 20) of cases of malignant mesothelioma showed p53 staining. We can thus infer that abnormalities of p53 appear to be a common event in malignant mesothelioma and that p53 immunostaining may be of value in the distinction of malignant mesothelioma from reactive hyperplasia.

In plain English

This laboratory study tested whether staining tissue for the p53 protein could help pathologists tell malignant mesothelioma apart from reactive (non-cancerous) growth of the mesothelial lining. The authors stained stored tissue blocks from 20 cases of pleural mesothelioma, obtained from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Gloucester Royal Hospital, and from 20 cases of reactive mesothelial proliferation, using an antiserum called CM-1. The mesothelioma patients had a mean age of 61.6 years (range 42 to 82), and all but one were male. None of the 20 reactive cases showed p53 staining. In 14 of the 20 mesotheliomas (70%), p53 was detected in tumour cell nuclei. In 3 of these cases it was in more than 75% of tumour cells, and in the other 11 it was in 1 to 30% of cells. In every case the staining was uneven, with stained and unstained areas. The authors concluded that p53 staining may help distinguish mesothelioma from reactive hyperplasia. They cautioned that it cannot separate mesothelioma from lung adenocarcinoma, that a negative result does not rule out cancer, and that uneven staining may cause sampling problems. The article does not report asbestos exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory (immunohistochemistry) study of stored tissue samples comparing p53 protein staining in malignant mesothelioma and in reactive mesothelial proliferation
• Who was studied: Tissue blocks from 20 cases of pleural mesothelioma (from the Royal Postgraduate Medical School and Gloucester Royal Hospital, UK) and 20 cases of reactive mesothelial proliferation. The mesothelioma patients had a mean age of 61.6 years (range 42 to 82), and all but one were male. The years in which the cases arose are not given.
• Exposure: Not reported. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure. It studied p53 protein staining with the CM-1 antiserum.
• Main results:
  • None of the 20 cases of reactive mesothelial proliferation showed detectable p53 staining.
  • In the mesothelioma group, 14 of 20 cases (70%) showed p53 staining in tumour cell nuclei.
  • Of the 14 positive mesotheliomas, 3 showed staining in more than 75% of tumour cells. In the other 11, only occasional tumour cells stained, ranging from 1 to 30% of cells.
  • Staining was uneven in all cases, with unstained areas alongside stained areas.
  • In 10 of the 20 mesothelioma cases, the diagnosis was confirmed at autopsy.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that p53 abnormalities appear to be common in malignant mesothelioma. They concluded that p53 staining may be of value in distinguishing malignant mesothelioma from reactive hyperplasia, as an addition to examining the tissue's appearance under the microscope.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • p53 staining is common in adenocarcinoma of the lung, so it will not help distinguish mesothelioma from that cancer.
  • A negative p53 stain does not rule out cancer.
  • Because staining was uneven within tumours, a small sample could miss stained areas.
  • The antiserum used on fixed, wax-embedded tissue may underestimate the true level of p53.
  • In an addendum, the authors noted that p53 staining can occur without a mutation in the p53 gene, so staining should not be uncritically equated with mutation.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, Neoplasm, Differential Diagnosis, Mesothelium.

Related studies

• Expression of p53 in reactive mesothelium — S. Dowell, N. Derias, et al. (1993)
• Gender comparisons in human lung cancer: analysis of p53 mutations, anti-p53 serum antibodies and C-erbB-2 expression — D.G. Guinee, W.D. Travis, et al. (1995)
• Effects of asbestos on initiation of DNA damage, induction of DNA-strand breaks, P53-expression and apoptosis in primary, SV40-transformed and malignant human mesothelial cells — B. Burmeister, T. Schwerdtle, et al. (2004)
• AMP converted from intracellularly transported adenosine upregulates p53 expression to induce malignant pleural mesothelioma cell apoptosis — Y. Nogi, T. Kanno, et al. (2012)
• Upregulated p53 expression activates apoptotic pathways in wild-type p53-bearing mesothelioma and enhances cytotoxicity of cisplatin and pemetrexed — Q. Li, K. Kawamura, et al. (2012)
• p53, Cip1, and Gadd153 expression following treatment of A549 cells with natural and man-made vitreous fibers — N.F. Johnson, R.J. Jaramillo (1997)

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