C-ERBB-2 AND P53 ONCOPROTEINS IN PRIMARY COLORECTAL ADENOCARCINOMAS AND THEIR LYMPH-NODE METASTASES

To determine whether the expression of c-erbB-2 and p53 provides additional information for the development of lymph node metastasis, a comparative study of c-erbB-2 and p53 by immunohistochemistry was made in paired primary tumors and lymph node metastases from 58 colorectal cancer patients. The frequencies of cases with c-erbB-2 and p53 immunoreactivity did not differ significantly between primaries and their metastases. Instead, c-erbB-2 and p53 immunoreactivity was usually identical in primaries and the corresponding metastases. There was a significant association between c-erbB-2 protein and cytoplasmic p53 overexpression in primary tumors, suggesting that c-erbB-2 and cytoplasmic p53 overexpression may have an interrelation in the development of colorectal cancer. However, c-erbB-2 and p53 overexpression might not be related to the development of metastases.