Description
p16 INK4a is a tumor suppressor protein implicated in the development of many
cancers. It is a selective inhibitor of CDK4/CDK6. Recent investigations of the p16INK4a gene identified homozygous deletions,nonsense mutations, missense mutations, or frameshift mutations in several human malignancies. The prevalence of p16 INK4a anomalies is greater in tumor-derived cell lines compared to unselected primary tumors; yet, notable subgroups of clinical cases exhibiting aberrant p16 INK4a genes have been documented in melanomas, gliomas, esophageal, pancreatic, lung, and urinary bladder carcinomas. P16 immunoreactivity in paraffin-embedded tissues has been demonstrated as an independent predictor in minimally invasive urothelial
bladder cancer, a prognostic factor in non-small cell lung carcinoma, and an indicator
of a favorable response to chemoradiotherapy in Stage IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
