The Association between p53 Expression and Histopathology Grade of Astrocytoma

BACKGROUND: The p53 gene is vital in gliomagenesis. As a tumor suppressor, mutations in TP53 lead to disruptions in apoptosis, cellular senescence, and cell cycle arrest. Ongoing research presents conflicting results about the significance of TP53 mutations in gliomas, particularly in astrocytomas. Histopathologic grade is crucial for assessing tumor aggressiveness, prognosis, and therapy selection. Recent studies and the updated WHO classification emphasize molecular profiling as a key factor in astrocytic glial tumor classification. Furthermore, the high occurrence of p53 mutations in astrocytoma makes it a promising target for therapy in this type of tumor. This study investigates the association between p53 mutations and histopathologic grade in astrocytoma. METHODS: The research subjects were patients diagnosed with astrocytoma of all grades in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded form between 2017 and 2022 at Dr. Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the p53 mutation status. A 10 cut-off is applied to determine p53 immunopositivity. Statistical analysis assessed the correlation of p53 mutation with glioma grade. RESULTS: Our study includes 140 patients with astrocytoma, including 10 patients with grade 1, 21 patients with grade 2, 10 patients with grade 3, and 99 patients with grade 4. Our study found a significant correlation between TP53 mutations and histopathological grades in astrocytoma (p=0.001). We present analysis results using Spearman's correlation for bivariate relationships and ordinal regression for multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: p53 mutations are associated with histopathologic grade in Astrocytoma. These findings underscore the importance of p53 in astrocytoma prognosis and therapy. Further research is necessary to support their role in advancing astrocytoma management and treatment.