Status of p53 and p27^KIP1 in Iranian Patients With Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Alterations in p53 and p27^KIP1 have been documented as important events in the carcinogenesis of various cancers, but their prognostic role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains controversial. Objectives: The present investigation aimed to evaluate the clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of p53 and p27^KIP1 expression in a group of Iranian patients with OSCC. Patients and Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, medical records of patients with primary OSCC, diagnosed from 1994 to 2004 were reviewed and 28 subjects were selected based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibodies against p53 and p27^KIP1 was performed on representative archival paraffin blocks. Demographic data along with information on p53 and p27^KIP1 expression, recurrence, and tumor grade was statistically analyzed using the Fischer exact test. Prognostic factors for overall survival were determined by Cox regression analysis (P < 0.05). Results: p53 and p27^KIP1 expression were found in 28.57% (8 positive versus 20 negative) and 67.85% (19 positive versus 9 negative) of OSCC cases, respectively. There was no significant association between these two proteins (P = 0.371), and neither of them showed a significant relationship with the studied clinicopathologic variables (P > 0.05). In survival analysis, only histopathologic differentiation (17 low and moderate, 11 poor) demonstrated a significant correlation with overall survival (P = 0.048). Conclusions: Despite the fact that abnormalities in p53 and p27^KIP1 may be involved in the development of OSCC, their clinical significance in the studied population seems limited. Further investigation on the combined p53/p27^KIP1 expression may be helpful in predicting the biologic behavior of this tumor.