[Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in human breast cancer--a marker of morphologic-functional differentiation]

Epidermal growth factor and some related mitogens elicit a biological response in normal and malignant cells by mediation of a specific receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R). In recent publications the expression of this receptor, a glycoprotein with extensive sequence homology to the erb B-oncogene, has in human breast carcinoma, been claimed to be an excellent indicator of a poor prognosis, superior to conventional prognostic factors such as nodal status and tumour size. To learn about the functional and prognostic role of EGF-R in breast carcinoma, we screened breast cancer tissue from 91 patients for the expression of the receptor by immunohistochemical means, with a monoclonal antibody. The results were compared to the expression of steroid receptors and to morphological and clinical parameters. We detected EGF-R in normal squamous cells of the skin and in epithelial and myoepithelial cells in non-neoplastic lobuli and ducts of the human breast. EGF-R was found in breast cancer tissues of 22 of the 91 patients. Specific staining was observed mainly in the cell membranes, but also to some extent in the cytoplasm. The distribution pattern of the antigen in terms of intensity of staining and number of specifically stained cells varied widely among different and within different regions of the same tumours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)