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EGFR and cancer prognosis
R I Nicholson1, J M Gee, M E Harper
1Tenovus Cancer Research Centre, Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Redwood Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3XF, UK. nicholsonri@cardiff.ac.uk
European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
|October 13, 2001
Summary
Elevated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) levels are linked to poorer cancer prognosis in many solid tumors. While EGFR is a strong indicator in some cancers, its full prognostic value may be underestimated.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Elevated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligands are common in various cancers, promoting tumor growth.
- EGFR is a growth-factor-receptor tyrosine kinase involved in cell signaling pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between EGFR expression and cancer prognosis.
- To analyze literature on EGFR levels and patient outcomes in multiple cancer types.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies published between 1985 and September 2000 on PubMed.
- Analysis of relapse-free interval or survival data from over 20,000 patients across more than 200 studies.
- Focus on 10 cancer types with sufficient data on EGFR expression and patient outlook.
Main Results:
- EGFR is a strong prognostic indicator in head and neck, ovarian, cervical, bladder, and esophageal cancers (70% of studies showed reduced survival).
- EGFR provided modest prognostic information in gastric, breast, endometrial, and colorectal cancers (52% of studies showed poor survival).
- EGFR expression rarely related to patient outlook in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (3/10 studies).
Conclusions:
- EGFR expression is significantly associated with prognosis in several cancer types, particularly head and neck, ovarian, cervical, bladder, and esophageal cancers.
- The prognostic significance of EGFR may be underestimated due to studies assessing total EGFR levels and lack of standardization.
- Lack of detected prognostic significance does not rule out potential benefit from anti-EGFR therapies.