Prognostic importance of the nuclear proteins p53 and Rb in conjunction with DNA, nuclear morphometry and grading in endometrial carcinoma.

In a series of 227 cases of endometrial carcinomas in FIGO stages I-IV, treated during the years 1984-89, immunohistochemical staining for the protein products of the two tumor suppressor genes p53 and retinoblastoma (Rb) were evaluated as prognostic factors with regard to tumor stage, FIGO grade, nuclear grade, morphometric nuclear parameters, DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction. Long-term survival analyses were endpoints and the Cox multivariate technique was used to evaluate the prognostic factors. In 20% of the cases p53 was positive. This was a genuine high-risk group associated with primary advanced carcinoma, nonendometrioid histology, poorly differentiated tumors, severe nuclear atypia, DNA aneuploidy, primary persistent tumors, recurrent tumors and a poor long-term survival rate (37% 5-year survival). In patients dying of their disease, 54% of the tumors stained positive for p53, compared with only 10% of the tumors not killing their hosts. Positive p53 staining was more common in older women. A pathologic Rb status (negative staining) was recorded in 6% of the cases. The Rb factor had only a minor influence on long-term survival and was not significant in multivariate analyses. The p53 staining status was the second most important prognostic factor after the nuclear grade in Cox multivariate analyses, after correcting for stage and age. Immunohistochemical staining for p53 protein should be included among previous available and important prognostic factors in endometrial carcinoma.