Expression of p16 and p53 in non-small-cell lung cancer: Clinicopathological correlation and potential prognostic impact

Aim: p16 and p53 are frequently altered intracellular pathways in cancers. We investigated the aberrant expression of p16 and its relationship with p53 and HPV status in primary non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Patients & methods: Lung tumor tissue microarray (n = 163), immunohistochemical study of p16 and p53, and HPV in-situ hybridization were analyzed. Results: p16 and p53 were detected in 50.7 and 57.3% of adenocarcinoma (ADCs; n = 75), and 35.2 and 63.6% of squamous cell carcinoma (n = 88). HPV was detected in 16 and 10.2% of ADC and squamous cell carcinoma. In ADCs, p16 positive tumors demonstrated a favorable median overall survival time of 60.9 months, compared with p16 negative tumors of 46.9 months (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we did not find significant relationships between p16 expression and HPV status, nor with p53 expression. Conclusion: p16 play an unique role in lung cancer survival. The mechanism of p16 needs to be further studied.