Immunohistochemical evaluation of P21ras and P53 proteins expression in human non-small-cell lung cancers

Human non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) of 48 patients were analyzed immunohistochemically to detect P21(ras) and P53 proteins expression. The relationship between P21(ras) and P53 proteins expression and clinicopathologic findings was also assessed. DAKO EnVision(TM) detection system was employed in the study. The P21(ras) and P53 proteins expression was shown in 75% (36/48) and 33.3% (16/48) studied NSCLCs, respectively. In both cases the difference was significant when compared with adequate negative control. Simultaneous expression of both studied proteins was observed in all cases in which P53 expression was noticed. No significant association of P21(ras) and P53 expression was found with age, histologic type, histologic grade, tumor size or lymph node metastasis of the studied NSCLCs. Therefore, our study suggests that P21(ras) and P53 protein play a role in the pathogenesis of NSCLCs but they have no value as a prognostic markers in the case of lung cancers.