Abstract
Sera from 182 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients were assayed for antibodies to p53 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, and antibodies were detected in 48 (26%) compared with 1 out of 76 (1.3%) normal control volunteers (P = 0.0001). In breast cancer patients, autoantibodies were found in all stages of disease progression: carcinoma in situ, primary invasive breast cancer and in metastatic disease. In the subset of patients in whom sequential sera were assessed over a 6 month period, changes in the p53 antibody titres were observed. The presence of antibodies to p53 correlated positively with high histological grade (P = 0.0012) and a history of second primary cancer (six positive out of eight cases). The incidence of autoantibodies was lower in those patients with a first-degree relative with breast cancer (P = 0.046). Out of 68 patients, there was a significant correlation between positive p53 autoantibody status and the detection of p53 protein in the tissue sections by immunocytochemistry (P = 0.002). In the seronegative patients, positive p53 tumour staining was strongly associated with a family history of breast cancer (P = 0.009). The p53 protein overexpressed in heritable breast cancers may therefore be less immunogenic. The presence of p53 autoantibodies provides important additional information to immunochemistry and may identify patients with aggressive histological types of breast cancer.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mudenda, B., Green, J., Green, B. et al. The relationship between serum p53 autoantibodies and characteristics of human breast cancer. Br J Cancer 69, 1115–1119 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1994.219
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1994.219
This article is cited by
-
An electrochemiluminescence biosensor for p53 antibody based on Zn-MOF/GO nanocomposite and Ag+-DNA amplification
Microchimica Acta (2020)
-
The Multifaceted Roles of B Cells in Solid Tumors: Emerging Treatment Opportunities
Targeted Oncology (2017)
-
Anti-p53 antibodies in serum: relationship to tumor biology and prognosis of breast cancer patients
Medical Oncology (2010)
-
P53 autoantibodies in 1006 patients followed up for breast cancer
Breast Cancer Research (2000)
-
Serum p53 autoantibodies in patients with minimal lesions of ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast
British Journal of Cancer (1999)