Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and 2nd common cancer after cervix in India. Presence of p53 gene alteration like loss of function p53 mutants correlate with poor prognosis and tend to be more frequent in high grade, large size, node positive, and in estrogen-progesterone receptor negative (ER-, PR-) tumors, suggesting that mutant p53 may become increasingly critical for breast cancer progression.

Aims: To determine the frequency of expression of p53 immunostaining (IHC) in breast carcinomas and to correlate its relationship with tumor size, histological grade, lymph node status and with hormonal receptors status wherever possible.

Materials and Methods: Sixty-five breast carcinoma cases were studied for various clinicopathological parameters like tumor size, histological type, grade, axillary lymph node status, lympho vascular invasion,in situ component,Nipple areola complex,deep resected margin involvement, Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPIG) and subjected to p53 immunostaining. 37 out of 65 cases were studied for ER, PR, Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2/ neu) antibodies. p53 expression was correlated with known prognostic factors. Furthermore, autopsy studies can be used as supplement to know the disease reservoir.

Results: p53 positivity was found in 72.3% of breast carcinomas with significant association between p53 expression with histological grade (p-value = 0.013) and Nottingham Prognostic Index Groups (NPIG) (p-value = 0.011). No significant correlation was seen between p53 expression and tumor size, lymph node status, hormonal receptor (ER, PR) status and HER2/neu expression.

Conclusion: Our study revealed thatthe higher the tumor grade,the higher the p53 expression and its association with NPIG. Thus, p53 can be considered as a prognostic marker and useful for management.