Background: p53 mutations are the most frequently observed tumor-related genetic changes. Mutational analysis concerns mostly carcinomas and is not comprehensive for soft tissue sarcomas. Among soft tissue sarcomas, malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) and liposarcoma represent the most frequent tumor types. Most of the few identified mutations for soft tissue sarcomas are localized in the core domain of p53. A correlation between p53 positive immunoreactivity, missense mutations, and a poor prognosis is generally assumed. However, the character of p53 mutations and their functional importance for the clinical process is still unknown.
Methods: Sixty-two soft tissue sarcoma samples were investigated for the presence of p53 mutations and for p53 immunoreactivity. Exons 4-9 of the p53 gene were amplified from genomic DNA with the polymerase chain reaction. A prescreen for mutations was performed by nonradioactive single strand conformation polymorphism analysis; striking cases were sequenced directly. For an evaluation of the immunohistochemical status, five p53 antibodies were used.
Results: In 10 tumor samples 7 new p53 mutations and one polymorphism were identified. Mutations were detected for five liposarcomas (four patients) and four MFHs (three patients). Of the seven mutations, three were missense point mutations, three were deletions, and one was a complex conversion. All mutations but one were localized in the core domain of p53. Of 62 tumor samples, 56% (14 of 32 liposarcomas and 21 of 30 MFHs) were positive for p53 immunostaining.
Conclusions: The mutations identified in the core domain affect codons that are structurally or functionally involved in DNA binding. A relation between p53 positive immunoreactivity and a poor prognosis, but not with an exclusively high tumor grade, is evident. p53 mutations in soft tissue sarcomas have a similar spectrum to those in carcinomas.