Immunohistochemical expression of p53, bcl-2, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) in early cervical carcinoma: correlation with clinical outcome.

The objective of this study was to assess the value of p53, bcl-2, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) immunoreactivity as predictors of pelvic lymph node metastases (LNM), recurrences, and death due to the disease in early stage (FIGO I-II) cervical carcinomas. FIGO stage, type of histopathology, and tumor grade were also evaluated in this series of patients treated by radical hysterectomy (Wertheim-Meigs) between 1965 and 1990. A total of 172 patients were included. A tumor was regarded as positive when more than 30% of the neoplastic cells exhibited immunoreactivity. Positive immunostaining was found in 8.9% for p53, in 43.5% for bcl-2, and in 25.0% for p21(WAF1/CIP1). None of them was able to predict LNM or clinical outcome. Presence of LNM, tumor recurrence, and death from disease were significantly associated with the FIGO stage (P = 0.014, P = 0.009, and P = 0.001, respectively). The 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 91.6% and the overall survival rate was 90.5%. It was concluded that immunohistochemically detected p53, bcl-2, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) appeared to be of no predictive value with regard to LNM, tumor recurrences, or long-term survival in early cervical carcinomas.