No association between p53-overexpression and polarographically measured tumor oxygenation in patients with head and neck carcinomas

Purpose: Clinical investigation of a potential relationship between the polarographically measured tumor oxygenation and the p53 status in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Patients and Methods: In 99 patients with mostly advanced, histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck we estimated the classical tumor parameters (TNM stage, histological grading) the immunohistochemical p53-overexpression (DO-7) and the tumor oxygenation status (Eppendorf pO(2) Histograph). The tumor volume and the hemoglobin concentration were evaluated simultaneously. Results: No statistically significant difference could be detected between immunohistological p53-positive (p53 greater than or equal to 10% stained cells) and p53-negative tumors (p53 < 10% stained cells) regarding both the median pO(2) and the relative frequency of values less than or equal to 5 mm Hg. Moreover, no statistically relevant differences could be seen between both p53-groups considering the hemoglobin concentration, the TNM stage, the histological grading and the tumor volume. Conclusion: Our data imply that there is no association between p53-overexpression and tumor hypoxia in head and neck carcinomas. However. this is not necessarily in contradiction to experimental or clinical data that confirmed a relationship between hypoxia and p53-mediated increased malignancy of tumor cells in ether tumor entities. The comparable oxygenation status of p53-positive and p53-negative tumors in our study is associated with an analogous clinical tumor aggressiveness of both groups. That could he caused by a hypoxia related but p53-independent selection of tumor cells with a more malignant phenotype in head and neck carcinomas. However, further research is needed to prove this possible relationship.