ABSTRACT
p53 is a nuclear protein believed to play an important role, through mutation and overexpression, in the progression of human malignant tumors. The authors employed a monoclonal antibody, 1801, and investigated overexpression of p53 in a series of 255 malignant and benign tumors, using deparaffinized sections of methacarn-fixed tissue. Overall, immunohistochemically detected p53 overexpression was found in 39% of malignant tumors, with considerable variation within individual tumor types (34% of breast carcinomas, 92% of ovarian carcinomas, 33% of soft tissue sarcomas). Homogenous, heterogenous, and focal immunostaining patterns were noted. With rare exceptions, no immunostaining of any benign tumors was noted. No immunostaining was found in adjacent, benign tissues, or in a series of fetal tissues. This is the first demonstration of widespread p53 overexpression in alcohol-fixed, embedded tissue and confirms the major role played by p53 in human malignancies.
Subject(s)
Acetic Acid , Neoplasms/chemistry , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/analysis , Acetates , Antibodies, Monoclonal , Breast Neoplasms/chemistry , Chloroform , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry/methods , Methanol , Ovarian Neoplasms/chemistry , Paraffin , Sarcoma/chemistry , Soft Tissue Neoplasms/chemistryABSTRACT
In a prospective single-blind study, 60 patients surgically treated for lumbar disc herniation underwent clinical examination and computed tomography preoperatively and 3 months after surgery. At follow-up (58 patients; median, 31 months; range, 21-37 months), 29 patients had an excellent outcome (51%), 20 improved (33%), and 9 were unchanged or worse (16%). Dural or radicular scar tissue was present by computed tomography in 88% of the patients, but the findings could not be correlated with the clinical outcome. Recurrent or persistent disc herniation was found in 9% of the patients. The clinical outcome of patients with abnormal computed tomography did not differ significantly from patients without this finding. A relation between facet joint degeneration and less successful clinical outcome was demonstrated. Computed tomography (without contrast) 3 months after surgery gave little information which could be correlated with the clinical outcome. Patients with an excellent outcome had all degrees of intraspinal scar tissue.
