Tumor suppressor p53 is frequently deleted or mutated in aggressive and high-grade ovarian cancer, probably aggravating cancer progression and increasing mortality.
A high frequency of p53 mutations in ovarian cancers and lack of mutation in 6 benign ovarian tumors and 2 normal ovaries suggested that the mutation of the p53 gene was associated with the genesis and/or progression of ovarian cancer.
A more detailed analysis of these somatic mutations revealed a set of genes that are mutated in human BRCA2 mutant breast and ovarian tumours and that are also mutated in mouse Brca2-null, Trp53-null mammary tumours.
A possible functional impairment of the p53 pathway caused by the G/G genotype of the MDM2 SNP309 may modify the association between p53 mutational status and prognosis in ovarian cancer.
A search of three public databases using keywords combined with Boolean operators identified 64 clinical publications investigating the relationship of p53 to clinical outcome following chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.
A significant inverse correlation between Bcl-2 and p53 expression was found in the malignant ovarian tumors examined. p53 gene mutation at exons 5-11 was however not a pre-requisite for p53 expression in both borderline and malignant tumors.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer TP53 mutation database, this type of p53 mutation in colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer is 0.13% (5/3,693) and 0% (0/1,494), respectively.