Aberrant p53 expression correlates with expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA and interleukin-8 mRNA and neoangiogenesis in non-small-cell lung cancer

PURPOSE: To evaluate interactions between expressions of tumor suppressor gene p53 and angiogenic factors vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) and their effect on tumor angiogenesis and patient prognosis in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: p53, VEGF, IL-8, and the microvessel endothelium were immunostained, and VEGF and IL-8 mRNA expression were quantified using the real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in 65 NSCLC surgical specimens. Aberrant p53 expression was correlated with VEGF and IL-8 mRNA expression, microvessel count (MVC), other clinical-pathologic variables, and patients’ survival. RESULTS: Tumors with high aberrant p53 expression showed significantly higher VEGF and IL-8 mRNA expression and MVC than those with low aberrant p53 expression (P < .001). When tested as a continuous variable, aberrant p53 expression correlated strongly and positively with VEGF and IL-8 mRNA expression and MVC (P < .0001). Tumors with high aberrant p53 expression were associated with mediastinal or distant lymph node metastasis (P = .006). Survival and postoperative relapse time were significantly shorter in patients with high aberrant p53 expression tumors than in those with low aberrant expression tumors (P < .0001). A significant difference in survival was also seen between patients with high and low tumoral VEGF mRNA expression and between those with high and low tumoral IL-8 mRNA expression (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: We report here for the first time that aberrant p53 expression is strongly positively correlated with VEGF mRNA and IL-8 mRNA expression in NSCLC. This result indicates that aberrant p53 expression may play a significant role in regulation of VEGF and IL-8 expression and be involved in controlling angiogenesis and explains the adverse prognosis of cancers with high aberrant p53 expression.