Immunohistochemical Detection of P53 and Bcl-2 in Esophageal Tumors

Abstract

This study aimed to detect the expression of P53 and Bcl-2 proteins in esophageal tumors using immunohistochemical method. 50 formalin fixed paraffin blocks (FFPB) previously diagnosed as esophageal tumors (40 of them were malignant tumors and 10 were benign tumors). FFPB were cut then stained using immunohistochemical method for the detection of P53 and Bcl2. The age of study samples ranged between 8 and 85 years with mean age of 60 years. The study population included 32 (64%) male and 18 (36%) females. Out of the 40 malignant samples, 34 samples were squamous cell carcinoma and 6 were adenocarcinoma. The immunohistochemical expression of P53 was detected in 23 (46%) sample, (all of them were malignant), and negative in 27 (54%) samples (17samples (34%) of them were malignant and the remaining 10 samples (20%) were benign) with statistical association between P53 expression and malignant tumors of the esophagus (P.value =0.001). Out of 23 positive samples, 19 (38%) were squamous cell carcinoma, and 4 (8%) were adenocarcinoma with no statistical association between the type of tumor and P53 expression (P.value = 0.622). The expression of p53 was compared with degree of histological differentiation and was detected in 11(22%) samples of moderately differentiated tumors, and 11(22%) samples of poorly differentiated tumors with statistical association with the grade of tumor (P.value =0.002). Immunohistochemical expression of bcl2 was detected in 5 (10%) samples and negative in 45 (90%) samples (35 (70%) of them were malignant and 10 (20%) were benign) with no statistical association between Bcl-2 expression and esophageal tumors (P.value =0.239). Out of 5 samples expressing Bcl-2, 4 (8%) of them were squamous cell carcinoma and only one (2%) was adenocarcinoma with no statistical association between Bcl-2 expression and type of cancer (P.value =0.738). Comparing the expression of bcl-2 and the grade of the tumor the positive result was detected in 2 (4%) samples of moderately differentiated tumors and 3 (6%) samples of poorly differentiated tumors with no relation between the histologic grade of tumor and Bcl-2 expression (P.value =0.857). This study concludes that there is association between P53 expression and malignant tumors of esophagus and with histological differentiation of tumor, with no association with type of tumor. Bcl- 2 expression is not associated with both type of tumor and the histological grade of tumor.