1. ¹Cancer Research Unit, Medical School University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
2. ²Neuropathology, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
3. ³Department of Statistics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
4. ⁴Department of Child Health, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Correspondence: ASYW Burns, E-mail: alice.burns@ncl.ac.uk

Received 12 March 2001; Revised 12 December 2001; Accepted 14 December 2001.

Abstract

One hundred and one pre-treatment primary central primitive neuroectodermal tumours were analysed for the expression of p53 protein by immunohistochemistry using the monoclonal antibody DO-7. The staining intensity was classified into four groups: strong, medium, weak and negative and strong staining intensity was associated with the poorest survival. DNA sequencing of the p53 gene was performed in 28 cases representing all four staining groups. Mutations were found in only three of the strong staining tumours suggesting that DNA mutations were not common events and that in the majority of the tumours with over-expressed p53, the protein was likely to be wild-type. Results of immunohistochemistry showed a significantly positive relationship between the expression of p53 and Bax and Bcl-2 proteins, but not Waf-1. Multivariate analyses supported the prognostic value of p53 immunostaining in central primitive neuroectodermal tumours and also of age and gender of patients.