Mutations of p53 Gene in Skin Cancers: a Case Control Study

Background: The most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene found in human cancer is p53. In a normal situation, p53 is activated upon the induction of DNA damage to either arrest the cell cycle or to induce apoptosis. However, when mutated, p53 is no longer able to properly accomplish these functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of p53 gene in cases of skin cancers and compare those with control subjects. Methods: The expression of P53 gene was investigated in samples form 62 patients who diagnosed as having various skin cancers including 41 basal cell carcinoma, 15 squamous cell carcinomas, 5 malignant melanoma, and one basosquamous carcinoma using immunohistochemistry method. The control group comprised 20 samples from patients with benign skin diseases. Data were analyzed using t and Chi-Square tests. Results: The ratios of p53 mutations in different skin malignancies comprised of 28/41 basal cell carcinoma, 9/15 squamous cell carcinoma, 1/1 of basosquamous carcinoma, and 1/5 of malignant melanoma as well as 3/20 of control group. Statistically significant differences from the control group were found in the ratios of p53 mutations in cases of basal and squamous cell carcinomas. However, the ratio of p53 mutations in malignant melanoma was not significantly different from that of the control group. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that mutations of p53 gene may contribute to the persistence of cancer cells and development of basal and squamous cell carcinomas.