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p53 protein in pediatric malignant astrocytomas: A study of 21 patients

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Abstract

Malignant astrocytomas are uncommon brain tumors in children and it isknown that astrocytic tumors with similar degrees of histologic anaplasia often show different biologic behaviour. Their uncommonoccurrence has resulted in relatively few studies of the molecular biology and genetics of pediatric malignant astrocytomaswith somewhat conflicting results, in contrast with the many studies addressing astrocytomas in adults. p53 immunoreactivity has been usedto screen tissues for the abnormal presence of the p53 protein and abnormal immunoreactivity has been demonstratedin one-half to two-thirds of adult astrocytomas. We studied the frequency of p53 immunoreactivity and gene alteration in 21 childrenwith malignant astrocytomas (anaplastic astrocytomaand glioblastoma multiforme) and analysed the survival of patientswith p53 immunoreactive versus non-reactive tumors. Of the cases examined, 8 were anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and 13 were glioblastomamultiforme (GM). We found that the overall frequencyof p53 immunoreactivity of 47% in this group of pediatric malignant astrocytomas is similar to that reported for adult astrocytomas. The median survival in both p53-positive and p53-negative groups of pediatric malignant astrocytomas wassimilar; however, the number of deaths in each group and the distributionof p53 scores is not statistically significant. Further studies to precisely identify p53 and other genetic mutations in pediatric gliomas are needed to understand their biology and the rationale for therapeutic options.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA

    Meena B. Bhattacharjee

  2. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA

    Janet M. Bruner

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  1. Meena B. Bhattacharjee
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  2. Janet M. Bruner
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Bhattacharjee, M.B., Bruner, J.M. p53 protein in pediatric malignant astrocytomas: A study of 21 patients. J Neurooncol 32, 225–233 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005727902387

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