PURPOSE: to test the hypothesis that gene TP53 codon 72 polymorphism is a risk factor for premalignant and malignant cervical lesions associated or not with human papillomavirus (HPV). METHODS: uterine cervical samples were collected for HPV DNA and TP53 codon 72 polymorphism tests from 155 patients who underwent cervical biopsy. Three groups were formed according to histological diagnosis: low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and cervical carcinoma. Subjects without cytological and histological displasic changes were considered controls. To verify the association between the gene TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and the groups, the chi2 test was applied. Confidence interval was considered significant at 95% (alpha=0.05). RESULTS: forty subjects were found to present cervical carcinoma, 18 had HSIL, 24 had LSIL and 73 were grouped as controls. The genotype Arg/Arg p53 was found in 60% of the patients with cancer, in 50.0% of the cases with HSIL, 45.8% with LSIL, and in 45.2% of the controls. No significant differences were identified in the frequencies of p53 genotype between all groups, independently of the presence of HPV (chi2: 3.7; p=0.716). CONCLUSIONS: our data do not support hypothesis that the gene TP53 codon 72 polymorphism is important for the development of pre-malignant and malignant cervical lesions associated or not with HPV.
Protein p53; Polymorphism; Cervix neoplasms; Papillomavirus, human; Precancerous conditions
