[en] We studied a group of patients with locally advances oesophageal carcinoma, managed by radiotherapy exclusively, and determined the p53 protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), in relationship to local control and survival. IHC for p53 protein was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens from 69 patients with adeno- and squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus. All patients were treated by external beam irradiation combined with intraluminal brachytherapy. Fifty-four percent (37/69) of the tumours showed overexpression of the p53 protein. No correlation with pretreatment parameters for p53-positive and p53-negative cases was detected. Overall survival as well as distant metastases-free survival was superior for p53 negative tumours. Local recurrence free-survival was slightly better in the p53 negative group, but this was dose dependent. (author)