Abstract
For 34 advanced and refractory cases of epithelial ovarian cancer, we immunohistochemically analyzed modification of p53 expression in tissue from both primary and secondary surgeries, focusing on the relationship with chemotherapeutic effects caused by two different regimens: high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and conventional chemotherapy (CONV). Following the primary surgery, 18 cases were treated with HDC and 16 cases with CONV. The p53 expression was more markedly decreased in the HDC-treated cases (78% for the primary; 39% for the secondary), compared to that in the CONV-treated cases (50% for the primary; 43% for the secondary). Sixty-seven percent (12/18) of the HDC-treated cases showed an obvious decrease in p53 expression, whereas 81% (13/16) of the CONV-treated cases showed no change in expression. In the comparison of these two groups, the survival ratio was higher in the 12 HDC-treated cases than that in the 13 CONV-treated cases (p<0.05). In conclusion, as p53 expression in epithelial ovarian cancers is considerably influenced by chemotherapy regimen, it was suggested that the regimen yielding a distinct decrease in expression could yield a more favorable outcome.
