Detection of p53 and SV40 Immunostaining in Archived Tumor Nephrectomy Blocks of Children with Nephroblastoma in Kano, Nigeria.

BackgroundImmunohistochemical expression of p53 protein in tumor nephrectomy specimens of patients with nephroblastoma has been associated with an adverse clinical outcome. SV40 is a known tumorigenic virus associated with inflammatory kidney diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the role in clinical outcome of p53 and SV40 immunopositivity in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of children with nephroblastoma. Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study of 24 nephroblastoma patients managed in a tertiary hospital. FFPE tumor tissue blocks from the patients were subjected to immunohistochemical staining for p53 and SV40, and their relationship to clinical outcome was analyzed using the methods of Kaplan - Meier. Statistical significance was set at p [≤]0.05. ResultsThe p53 immunopositivity rate in the study was 20.80% (5/24). None of the patient had a positive SV40 stain. There was a significant association between p53 immunoreactive and gender (p=0.021). The study showed a statistically significant poorer overall survival (OS) for those who showed p53 immunopositivity (p=0.05). ConclusionThe study provides preliminary evidence that p53 immunopositivity is associated with a poor survival. This may thus be used in the detection of patients with a poor prognostic tumor.