Background: The prognostic significance of anti-53 autoantibody in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is unclear due to measurement of overall rather than disease-specific survival and generally short follow-up periods in many studies. We aim to investigate prognostic significance of anti-p53 auto-antibodies in a study with long-term follow-up (minimum 5 years).
Methods: ELISA for anti-p53 autoantibody was assayed in serum from 92 patients with CRC and 28 controls.
Results: Anti-p53 autoantibody was found in 20 patients (21.7%) and none of the controls. No difference in Dukes' (A/B vs. C/D), Stage (I/II vs. III/IV), T1/2 vs. T3/4, N0 vs. N1/2, M0 vs. M1, poor vs. well/moderate differentiation and proximal vs. distal CRC was observed. Median overall survival was 62 months and median disease-specific survival was 73 months. Dukes' C/D, Stage III/IV, N1/2 and M1 were associated with poor disease-specific survival in univariate analysis. Stage III/IV was an independent prognostic factor in overall and disease-free survival in multivariate analysis. Anti-p53 autoantibody sero-positivity did not influence overall (p = 0.980) or disease-specific survival (p = 0.874). Median overall survival in anti-p53 autoantibody positive patients was 62 months vs. 60 months in anti-53 autoantibody negative patients. Median disease-specific survival in anti-p53 autoantibody positive patients was 73 months vs. 82 months.
Conclusion: Anti-p53 autoantibody is not related to clinical parameters of CRC and has no prognostic significance in long-term follow-up.