Prognostic implications of p53 and bcl-2 expression in 108 women with stage two breast cancer.

BACKGROUND The mortality and morbidity of patients with breast cancer can vary even between individuals with similar histological stage at diagnosis. Identification of those individuals with prognostically poorer tumours is an essential prerequisite in planning adjuvant therapies. Some prognostic indices of tumour size, grade, oestrogen receptor status and nodal status are well established. AIM The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic role of information relating to proto-oncogene and tumour suppressor gene expression. METHODS 108 women with stage II breast cancer were studied. Tumour expression of p53 and bcl-2 were scored and then correlated with recurrence and mortality. RESULTS We have shown that individuals poorly expressing bcl-2 in their tumours have a poorer disease-free and overall survival than those who express bcl-2. When p53 was strongly expressed, it was associated with poorer disease-free and overall survival. CONCLUSION The profiling of individual tumour genetic expression of proto-oncogenes may allow for more specific identification of patients at higher risk of recurrence in breast cancer.