p53 autoantibodies as tumor marker in head and neck squamous cell cancer

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 23; no. 2A; p. 913
• Main Authors: Gottschlich, Stefan, Hoffmann, Markus, Maass, Jan D, Görörgh, Tibor, Buhmann, Volker, Hoffmann-Fazel, Asita, Rudert, Heinrich, Maune, Steffen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01.03.2003
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor - blood; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - blood; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Follow-Up Studies; Head and Neck Neoplasms - blood; Head and Neck Neoplasms - diagnosis; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Middle Aged; Reproducibility of Results; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - blood
• ISSN: 0250-7005

p53 autoantibodies (AAB) are a new serological parameter with unknown potential in patients with malignancies. The reason why and the mechanism by which they develop is still unclear. So far, only in a limited number of studies has the usefulness of p53 AAB in the follow-up of cancer patients been shown. In this study 32 patients with head and neck cancer, seropositive for p53 AAB in their serum detected with an ELISA, were followed-up for at least 42 months. In 9 out of 32 p53 seropositive AAB head and neck cancer patients a correlation with the clinical course of the disease was seen. The remaining 23 of the p53 AAB-positive patients did not demonstrate any significant AAB titer changes during the follow-up and no significant correlation with the clinical course was observed. In conclusion, the clinical value of p53 AAB as a tumor marker for patients with head and neck cancer seems to be limited.