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Quantification of CD44v6 and EGFR expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas using a single-dose
Marika Nestor1, Tomas Ekberg, John Dring
1Unit of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Marika.Nestor@bms.uu.se
Background:
In the growing field of tumor targeting, there is an urgent need to profile suitable molecular targets. In this study, CD44v6 and EGFR expression was quantified in samples of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a single-dose (SD) radioimmunoassay.
Methods:
The SD radioimmunoassay using 125I-chimeric monoclonal antibody (cMAb) U36 and 125I-cMAb cetuximab was first validated and then applied to quantify the expression of their target antigen molecules, CD44v6 and EGFR, in patient samples. Results were compared to immunohistochemical staining.
Results:
The SD assay provided sensitive quantitative values of the molecular targets studied, generally agreeing with the immunohistochemistry (IHC) results. The results indicated that expression of CD44v6 (0.2-20 nmol/mug membrane) was generally higher than that of EGFR (0.6-2.3 nmol/microg membrane) in the tumor samples analyzed, which corresponded to an average of 700,000 and 90,000 antigen molecules per cell, respectively.
Conclusions:
The SD radioimmunoassay is simple, reliable, and can be performed on a small amount (50 mg) of tissue. This assay could be a useful tool in the growing field of personalized cancer therapy, and can be used as a complement to IHC. In the tumors studied, CD44v6 was generally expressed at a higher level than EGFR, which might suggest that it could be more readily targeted by MAbs.
Insights
A single-dose radioimmunoassay accurately quantified CD44v6 and EGFR in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. CD44v6 showed higher expression than EGFR, suggesting it as a promising target for antibody-based therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunotherapy
Background:
- Profiling molecular targets is crucial for advancing tumor targeting strategies.
- Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) requires effective molecular target identification.
- CD44v6 and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) are key targets in cancer research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify CD44v6 and EGFR expression in HNSCC patient samples.
- To validate a single-dose (SD) radioimmunoassay for molecular target quantification.
- To compare SD radioimmunoassay results with immunohistochemical staining.
Main Methods:
- Validated a single-dose (SD) radioimmunoassay using 125I-labeled chimeric monoclonal antibodies (cMAb) U36 and cetuximab.
- Applied the validated SD radioimmunoassay to quantify CD44v6 and EGFR antigen levels in HNSCC patient samples.
- Correlated SD radioimmunoassay findings with conventional immunohistochemical (IHC) staining results.
Main Results:
- The SD radioimmunoassay provided sensitive and quantitative measurements of CD44v6 and EGFR.
- Results from the SD assay generally agreed with IHC staining.
- CD44v6 expression (0.2-20 nmol/µg membrane) was significantly higher than EGFR expression (0.6-2.3 nmol/µg membrane) in HNSCC tumors, averaging 700,000 CD44v6 molecules and 90,000 EGFR molecules per cell.
Conclusions:
- The SD radioimmunoassay is a simple, reliable method for quantifying molecular targets using small tissue amounts (50 mg).
- This assay serves as a valuable complement to IHC in personalized cancer therapy.
- Higher CD44v6 expression suggests its potential as a more accessible target for monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapies in HNSCC.
