Expressions of P53, vascular endothelial growth factor and proliferating cell number antigen in astrocytomas and prognosis of these patients

Abstract

Objective To study the expressions of P53,vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in astrocytomas and their relationships with prognosis of these patients.Methods Immunohistochemical SP method was employed to detect the P53,VEGF and PCNA expression in 126 cases of human brain astrocytomas of different grades,collected in our hospital from May 2002 to May 2010; their correlations and their significance in the prognosis in these patients were analyzed.Results P53,VEGF,and PCNA expressed differently in astrocytomas of different grades,enjoying a positive relation with grades (P＜0.05); positive correlations of between P53 expression and both VEGF and PCNA expressions (r=0.608,P=0.000; r=0.432,P=0.001).In patients with the same grade of astrocytoma,those having positive P53 expression enjoyed poorer prognosis and lower survival rate with significant difference (P＜0.05); while VEGF and PCNA expressions had no correlation with the progonosis.Conclusion The expressions of PCNA,VEGF and P53 are closely associated with grade of the astrocytomas,and only P53 expression is an indicator of poor prognosis. Key words: Astrocytoma; P53; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Proliferating cell nuclear antigen