Monitoring of p53 autoantibodies after resection of colorectal cancer: Relationship to operative curability

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the clinical use of p53 autoantibodies as a marker in the postoperative monitoring of colorectal cancer. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Japan. Subjects: 40 patients with colorectal cancer who had p53 autoantibodies in their serum preoperatively. Interventions: Serial assay of p53 autoantibodies by ELISA before and after resection. Main outcome measures: Interpretation by a qualitative analysis. Results: A significant correlation was observed between curability by surgical resection and postoperative disappearance of p53 autoantibodies. Twenty-seven (96%) of 28 patients, who had p53 autoantibodies and whose cancer was completely removed, had no such antibodies after resection and no recurrence after 7 to 26 months. Conclusions: Postoperative assays of p53 autoantibodies are potentially useful for predicting recurrence of colorectal cancer in patients who have p53 autoantibodies preoperatively.