TP53 mutations as potential prognostic markers for specific cancers: Analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the International Agency for Research on Cancer TP53 Database

Abstract

Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 are associated with a variety of cancers. Therefore, it is important to know the occurrence and the prognostic effects of TP53 mutations in certain cancers. Over 29,000 cases of TP53 mutations were obtained from the April 2016 release of the Internal Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) TP53 Database, and 7,893 cancer cases were compiled in the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics from the 33 most recent studies of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The data was analyzed, and it was found that the majority of TP53 mutations were missense and the major mutational hotspots were located at codons 248, 273, 175, and 245 in exons 4-8 for somatic mutations with the addition of codon 337 and other mutations in exons 9-10 for germline mutations. Out of 33 TGCA studies, the effects of TP53 mutations were statistically significant in ten cancers (ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, acute myeloid leukemia, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC), papillary RCC, chromophobe RCC, uterine endometrial carcinoma, and thymoma) for survival time and in six cancers (ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, chromophobe RCC, acute myeloid leukemia, and thymoma) for disease-free survival time. Also, it was found that the most common p53 mutation in hepatocellular carcinomas (R249S) was a much better indicator for poor prognosis than TP53 mutations as a whole.\n\nAuthor summaryThe TP53 gene codes for the tumor suppressor protein, p53, which is essential for DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. It is commonly inactivated or partially disabled by mutations, contributing to the development of a variety of human cancers. In this study, over 29,000 cases from the April 2016 release of the International Agency for Research on Cancer TP53 Database (IARC) were analyzed to determine the distribution of mutations in the TP53 gene. Data was also collected from the 33 most recent The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) studies to determine the prevalence of TP53 mutations in cancers and their effects on survival and disease-free survival time. It was found that there were statistically significant differences between cases with and without TP53 mutations in ten cancers when comparing survival time, and in six cancers when comparing disease-free survival time. This indicates that TP53 mutations are potential prognostic markers that can be used to further improve the accuracy of predicting the survival time and disease-free survival time of cancer patients.