Assessing TP53 status in human tumors: Lessons from breast cancer

Abstract

Somatic mutations in the TP53 gene are frequently found in many types of cancer. Various methods have been developed in order to meet the challenges in assessing TP53 mutation status in human tumors and the most commonly used techniques will be presented to show the advancement and current trends. TP53 status is further discussed in the context of whole genome analysis, which may elucidate the TP53 network, uncover gene profiles to substitute previous mutation detection methods, and be more applicable in different aspects of clinical decision making. As breast cancer is one of the cancer diseases where TP53 mutation status shows the most significant prognostic impact and clinical potential, the chapter is based on experiences from research on this tumor type.