Purpose: To investigate the p53 gene as a prognostic indicator in conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods: Medical records were reviewed and histopathology slides were examined to verify the diagnosis and grade of tumor differentiation in a retrospective case series of 12 patients with "invasive" and 11 patients with "noninvasive" conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma. The p53 antigen was detected using the streptavidin biotin-alkaline phosphatase immunostaining method. Statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher exact test.
Results: p53 overexpression was present in 14 cases (approximately 60%). Eight and 6 of 14 p53-positive tumors were invasive and noninvasive, respectively. All patients with recurrence (two), recurrence and metastasis (two), metastasis (three), and death with tumor dissemination (three) had p53 overexpression. Of all adverse outcomes, only two cases with recurrence were p53 negative: no metastasis or death with dissemination was seen in p53-negative tumor cases.
Conclusions: There was no statistical relationship between p53 overexpression and age, sex, location, invasiveness, or histopathologic differentiation of the tumor; however, a significant association existed between p53 positivity and adverse clinical behavior (p = 0.014).