背景：p27蛋白是一種cyclin-dependent kinase抑制劑，可藉由控制G1到S期使細胞週期變慢，已有報告顯示在很多癌症，如果p27表現降低其臨床預後也變差。 方法：病患均符合有下列三要件：完整的臨床資料，治療前採取檢體及至少追蹤5年。共有41例鼻咽癌檢體接受p27免疫組織染色，同時評估其與臨床病理表徵的相關性。 結果：免疫組織染色的分析顯示29.3%的鼻咽癌檢體沒有表現p27蛋白，中度染色者佔43.9%，強度染色則佔26.8%。統計之分析顯示p27蛋白的表現與臨床病理表徵並無明顯的相關性。 結論：我們的結果顯示和其他癌症相似，在鼻咽癌中p27也常會降低表現，但是本研究顯示p27在免疫組織的表現無法預測鼻咽癌疾病的進展度及病患的存活率。

BACKGROUND: p27 protein is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that negatively regulates cell cycle by mediating the progression from G1 to S phase. Reduced expression of p27 protein been reported to be correlated with poor clinical outcome in patients with various cancers. METHODS: Inclusion criteria were the availability of clinical information, archival pretreatment biopsy material, and a minimum follow-up of 5 years. We performed immuno-histochemistry of p27 in 41 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and evaluated the association between p27 and clinicopathological features. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis revealed frequent loss p27 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (29.3%). Moderate p27 protein staining was seen in 43.9% cases and strong staining in 26.8%. We observed no significant correlation between p27 expression and clinicopathological features. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that reduction of p27 is a common event in nasopharyngeal carcinoma as compared with other cancers. Immunoreactivity of p27may not be able to predict the progressiveness of NPC and the survival of the patients.