Consistency of P53 immunohistochemical expression between preoperative biopsy and final surgical specimens of endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the consistency of P53 immunohistochemical expression between preoperative biopsy and final pathology in endometrial cancer (EC), and to predict the prognosis of patients based on the 4-tier P53 expression and classic clinicopathological parameters. METHODS: The medical data of patients with stage I-III EC who received preoperative biopsy and initial surgical treatment in two medical centers was retrospectively collected. The consistency of P53 immunohistochemistry expression between preoperative biopsy and final pathology was compared using Cohen’s kappa coefficient and Sankey diagram, then 4-tier P53 expression was defined (P53wt/P53wt, P53abn/P53wt, P53wt/P53abn, and P53abn/P53abn). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the correlation between 4-tier P53 expression and the prognosis of patients. On this basis, the nomogram models were established to predict the prognosis of patients by combining 4-layer P53 expression and classic clinicopathological parameters, then risk stratification was performed on patients. RESULTS: A total of 1186 patients were ultimately included in this study through inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, the consistency of P53 expression between preoperative biopsy and final pathology was 83.8%, with a kappa coefficient of 0.624. ROC curve suggested that the AUC of 4-tier P53 expression to predict the prognosis of patients was better than AUC of P53 expression in preoperative biopsy or final pathology alone. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that 4-tier P53 expression was an independent influencing factor for recurrence and death. On this basis, the nomogram models based on 4-tier P53 expression and classical clinicopathological factors were successfully established. ROC curve suggested that the AUC (AUC for recurrence and death was 0.856 and 0.838, respectively) of the models was superior to the single 4-tier P53 expression or the single classical clinicopathological parameters, which could provide a better risk stratification for patients. CONCLUSION: The expression of P53 immunohistochemistry had relatively good consistency between preoperative biopsy and final pathology of EC. Due to the discrepancy of P53 immunohistochemistry between preoperative biopsy and final pathology, the prognosis of patients can be better evaluated based on the 4-layer P53 expression and classic clinical pathological parameters.