The prognostic value of the P53 protein and the Ki67 marker in breast cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate and compare the prognostic value of P53 and Ki67 markers in patients with breast cancer in Sabzevar, north east of Iran. METHODS A descriptive analytical study was conducted on 80 patients with breast cancer who were admitted to the hospitals in Sabzevar in 2006 and they were followed up to 2010. The expression of ki67 and stability of p53 genes were determined by immunohistochemistry. To assess the disease prognosis, patients were followed up to 48 months. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 11.5. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Kaplan-Miere and Log Rank tests were used for statistical purposes. RESULTS Eighty cancerous tissue samples were examined. The Ki67 marker was present in 37 (46.3%) cases and the P53 protein stability in 39 (48.8%) cases were observed. There was a significant relationship between ki67 gene expression and tumour stage (p = 0.001) or tumour type (P = 0.02). There was also a significant relationship between the survival rate and the tumor stage (P = 0.008). The Ki67 marker had significant relationship with the survival rate (P = 0.031), but over expression of P53 protein did not show such significance (P = 0.385). CONCLUSION The results showed that the Ki67 marker was more important than P53 protein in prognosis of the breast cancer patients.