Abnormal p53 expression is associated with poor outcomes in grade I or II, stage I, endometrioid carcinoma: a retrospective single-institute study.

OBJECTIVE

The Cancer Genome Atlas study revealed an association between copy-number high (p53 abnormal) genetic mutation and poor prognosis in endometrial cancer in 2013. This retrospective study investigated outcomes in patients with abnormal p53 expression and stage I, low-grade endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC).

METHODS

We enrolled women with stage I, grade 1 or 2 EEC who received comprehensive staging and adjuvant therapy between January 2019 and December 2022 at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Pathologists interpreted immunohistochemistry stains of cancerous tissues to detect p53 mutation. We compared recurrence, survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival between p53 abnormal and p53 normal groups.

RESULTS

Of the 115 patients included, 26 had pathologically confirmed abnormal p53 expression. Of these 26 patients, five (19.2%) experienced recurrence, and two died due to disease progression. By contrast, no patients in the normal p53 group experienced disease recurrence or died due to disease progression. Significant intergroup differences were discovered in recurrent disease status (19.4% vs. 0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.7% vs. 0%, p<0.001), and progression-free survival (p<0.001). The overall survival (p=0.055) also showed powerful worse trend.

CONCLUSION

For patients with stage I, low-grade EEC, abnormal p53 expression may be used as an indicator of poor prognosis. Therefore, we suggest considering aggressive adjuvant therapies for these patients.