p53 expression in tumor stromal fibroblasts is associated with the outcome of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast

The purpose of this study was to determine whether p53 protein expression in tumor stromal fibroblasts assessed immunohistochemically by the Allred score system is significantly associated with nodal metastasis by invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and significantly associated with the outcome of 1042 IDC patients according to adjuvant therapy status, UICC pTNM stage, and triple-negative IDC status, in multivariate analyses with well-known clinicopathological factors. The Allred scores for p53 expression in tumor stromal fibroblasts were significantly associated with the number of nodal metastases, and Allred scores of 4-8 for p53 in tumor stromal fibroblasts significantly increased the hazard rate for distant organ metastasis or for tumor death in the triple-negative IDC patients, and the UICC pTNM stage I, II, and III patients. The results indicated that p53 protein expression in tumor stromal fibroblasts is closely associated with the number of nodal metastases and the outcome of IDC patients. (Cancer Sci 2009; 00: 000-000).