Prognostic role of p53 codon 72 polymorphism in gastric cancer patients treated with fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy

Objective The polymorphism of p53 codon 72 (Arg72Pro) has been suggested to play an important role in many cancers and may influence the response to chemotherapy. Our aim was to investigate the association of p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism with the clinical outcome of gastric cancer patients treated with 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods The p53 codon 72 genotype was determined in blood samples from 110 Chinese patients with gastric cancer treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy, using polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. Results Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that gastric cancer patients with Pro/Pro genotype had shorter relapse-free survival (chi(2) = 10.632, P = 0.005) and overall survival (chi(2) = 7.104, P = 0.029) than patients with other genotypes. Cox multivariate analysis showed that Pro/Pro genotype was associated with statistically significant reduced relapse-free survival (adjusted OR = 3.049, 95% CI: 1.363-6.819, P = 0.007) and overall survival (adjusted OR = 2.581, 95% CI: 1.052-6.330, P = 0.038). Conclusion These results suggested that p53 codon 72 polymorphism appears to be an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer patients treated with 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy.