p53 exon 7 mutations as a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

We have studied 61 resected colorectal adenocarcinomas in order to investigate p53 mutations as a prognostic factor for this pathology. Mutations in exons 5-9 of the p53 gene were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) technique followed by sequencing. Our data indicate that p53 exon 7 mutations were prevalent in the latest stages of colorectal carcinogenesis and patients bearing this alteration had the worst prognosis. Therefore, according to our results, mutations affecting exon 7 of the p53 gene could be considered as a useful marker of biological aggressiveness for colorectal cancer.