Association of p53 codon 72 polymorphisms with expression status of hormone receptors like ER, PR, and HER-2 in invasive ductal breast carcinoma in Bangladeshi women

Background: There is a lack of data on prevalent genetic factors among female breast cancer patients from Bangladesh. p53, a suppressor gene, is crucial in breast cancer’s aetiology. This study aimed to investigate the association between p53 codon 72 polymorphisms and invasive ductal breast carcinoma (IDC) in Bangladeshi women. Methods: This study included 203 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of histologically confirmed IDC, with immunohistochemical analyses for ER, PR, and HER-2 status from November 2021 to October 2022. The specimens were collected from one laboratory in each of the Dhaka and Chattogram cities. p53 codon 72 genotypes were detected using PCR-RFLP. Results: Most patients (77%) were aged 41–60 years. All cases were IDC, with grade II (79.3%) and stage II being most prevalent (82%). ER-positive tumours were observed in 65.5% of patients, while 69% tumours were PR-negative and HER-2-negative. The GC (Arg/Pro) genotype was predominant (58.6%), followed by CC and GG (20.7% each). Statistically significant associations were found between the GC genotype and size less than 5 cm (P<0.01), axillary lymph node metastasis (P<0.01), and PR-negative tumours (P=0.02). Patients with GC+GG genotypes had higher odds of axillary lymph node metastasis (age, tumour grade and tumour stage adjusted odds ratio 21.8; 95% confidence interval 7.0–67.9), PR-negative tumours (aOR 0.2; 95% CI 0.1–0.6) and HER-2 negative tumours (aOR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.9). Conclusion: Our study suggests that the Arginine allele at p53 codon 72, in either homozygous or heterozygous form, is associated with more aggressive IDC features in Bangladeshi women, including axillary lymph node metastasis and hormone receptor negative tumours.