p53 protein overexpression and K-ras codon 12 mutation in pancreatic ductal carcinoma: correlation with histologic factors

The correlation of p53 protein overexpression and the K-ras codon 12 mutation with histologic type, grade of cytologic atypia, depth of invasion and other histologic prognostic factors was studied in paraffin sections from 43 ductectatic- and 70 solid-type pancreatic ductal carcinomas. Overexpression of p53 was found in 23.3% (10/43) of ductectatic carcinomas (17.2% of intraductal and 35.7% of invasive carcinomas) and in 61.4% (43/70) of solid carcinomas. In ductectatic cancers, p53 overexpression was detected in 14.8% (4/27) of carcinomas with low-grade atypia (CAL), 50.0% (5/10) of carcinomas with high-grade atypia (CAH) and in 16.7% (1/6) of mixed low- and high-grade cancers. In the last group, expression was restricted to an area of CAH. In solid cancers, p53 overexpression did not differ by histologic type or grade. Overexpression of p53 and K-ras mutations did not correlate with histologic prognostic factors (lymphatic, venous and perineural invasion, and lymph node metastasis) in ductectatic and solid cancers or depth of invasion of solid carcinomas. Our data suggest that p53 alteration occurs at an early intraductal stage of solid carcinoma, irrespective of cellular atypia, but is low in ductectatic CAL and becomes higher in ductectatic CAH. K-ras mutation, present in a high percentage of tumors of all groups and not correlating with the factors above, showed no changes in frequency with tumor progression.