A Survey on Association of P16 Protein and Uterine Cervical Dysplasia

Abstract

Background: Cervical (uterine) carcinoma is the second most frequent type of women cancer. Success in early diagnosis of this disease is due to the use of pap-smear test. However, this test has both false-positive and false-negative results. P16 protein is a Cyclin-dependent Kinase inhibitor supposed to be overexpressed in cervical dysplasia and cancer. Our study was about correlation between P16 and cervical dysplasia. Methods: In this study 45 patients with dysplastic abnormalities in cervix (including Ascus-H) were sampled for papsmear (by Liquid-base method). Two smears were stained, one with papanicolau and the other (by IHC) for P16. The results were compared using t-test via SPSS15 software. Finding: Pap-stain revealed 13 ASCUS (29%), 18 LSIL (40%), 11 HSIL (24%), and 3 S.C.C (7%). Immunostaining of P16 protein was observed in ASCUS (3/13, 23%), LSIL (12/18, 67%), HSIL (11/11, 100%), and S.C.C (3/3, 100%). P16 had significant correlation with degree of cervical dysplasia in Liquid-base pap-smear (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: We suggest the usage of P16-test as an optional test for cervical dysplasia according to our study.

Keywords

• Pap-Smear
• Cervical dysplasia
• Protein P16