Mutations in the p53 gene seem to be the most common genetic change in human malignancies. Recently, it was reported that p53 mutation was significantly associated with prognosis in various cancers. In this study, we investigated the correlation between p53 overexpression and prognosis of gastric carcinoma using immunohistochemical staining with an anti-p53 antibody. Although there was no significant association between p53 status and various clinicopathologic factors, prognosis of patients with p53-positive tumors was significantly worse than of those with p53-negative: tumors. Both microvessel count (MVC; the mean number of microvessels in the five areas of highest vascular density at 200x magnification) and PCNA labeling index (PCNA LI; percentage of positive cells per more than 500 tumor cells) were significantly higher in p53-positive tumors than in p53-negative tumors. In summary, it is suggested that p53 overexpression is closely associated with tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell proliferation and prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

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