[Accumulation of p53 protein and overexpression of the HER3 receptor in colorectal cancer].

In patients with colorectal cancer, nuclear accumulation of p53 is often associated with poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy. Overexpression of HER3 is associated with poor prognosis and resistance to therapy targeting EGFR. Our study was performed on 16 samples of colorectal adenocarcinomas. The pieces fixed in formalin were embedded in paraffin. The study of the expression of p53 and HER3 is performed by immunohistochemical technique. Immunohistochemical study of the expression of p53 showed nuclear accumulation of this protein in 87% of colorectal adenocarcinomas analyzed. Regarding the HER3 receptor overexpression was observed in 56% of cases. Overall, 50% of the cases co-expressed p53 and HER3. HER3 and p53 are important markers of colorectal cancer because they provide information about the distinctive biological characteristics of tumors. The prognostic and predictive value of the combination of these two markers could be an important clinical tool.