Abstract
Background p53 is the gene for a transcription factor that is activated in response to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and research has revealed that abnormalities of this gene show a high frequency in gastrointestinal cancers.
Methods We investigated the positivity rate of p53 antibodies in serum from 890 subjects, and found seropositivity in 74 subjects vs. seronegativity in 816 subjects.
Results There was little difference between males and females, but there was a trend for the seropositive rate to increase with advancing age from the 30s onwards, peaking among subjects in their 60s. The 5subjects with positive antibody titers and cancer were all men, but there was no correlation between the antibody titer and the presence of cancer.
Conclusion Based on the results of the present investigation, detection of p53 serum antibodies is not an effective cancer screening tool compared with existing tumor markers.
