Abstract

The immunohistochemical expression of bcl-2 and p53 protein was evaluated in formali-fixed, paraffin embedded surgical specimens from 107 patients with breast carcinoma. bcl-2 protein was found to be expressed in 66 specimens(62.9%). Bcl-2 expression was correlated with good prognostic factors such as well differentiation, low grade nuclear atypism, few mitoses or absence of lymph node metastasis. p53 protein expression was detected in 60 cases(56.6%). An inverse correlation was observed between of bcl-2 and p53(R=0.l9863, p< 0.05). These findings suggest that overexpression(mutation) of p53 and/or bcl-2 protein may be early events in tumorigenesis and that p53 alterations in particular are essential for maintenance of a malignant phenotype in tumour development.

• Keywords: bc1-2, p53, Breast carcinoma