Review

The p53 pathway in breast cancer

Milena Gasco¹, Shukri Shami² and Tim Crook^2,3

¹  UO Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera S Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy

²  Department of Surgery, Oldchurch Hospital, Romford, UK

³  Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, UK

author email corresponding author email

Breast Cancer Res 2002, 4:70-76doi:10.1186/bcr426

Published:	12 February 2002

Abstract

p53 mutation remains the most common genetic change identified in human neoplasia. In breast cancer, p53 mutation is associated with more aggressive disease and worse overall survival. The frequency of mutation in p53 is, however, lower in breast cancer than in other solid tumours. Changes, both genetic and epigenetic, have been identified in regulators of p53 activity and in some downstream transcriptional targets of p53 in breast cancers that express wild-type p53. Molecular pathological analysis of the structure and expression of constituents of the p53 pathway is likely to have value in diagnosis, in prognostic assessment and, ultimately, in treatment of breast cancer.