[Immunohistochemical studies on epidermal growth factor receptor in oncogenesis of uterine cervical cancer]

Recent studies have demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) shows great homology with the v-erbB transforming protein and the amplified expression of EGF-R accompanies the malignant transformation of squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix. In this study, the tissue localization of EGF-R in the oncogenesis of uterine cervical cancer was examined by the avidin/biotin immunoperoxidase technique using anti-EGF-R monoclonal antibody. Normal squamous and columnar epithelium was almost negative for EGF-R. The positive rate of EGF-R increased in the precancerous lesions, whereas it decreased in invasive and metastatic cancer (mild dysplasia: 36%, moderate dysplasia: 57%, severe dysplasia: 77%, carcinoma in situ: 82%, microinvasive carcinoma: 80%, squamous cell carcinoma: 24%, glandular dysplasia: 67%, adenocarcinoma in situ: 75%, adenocarcinoma: 8%, adenosquamous carcinoma: 33%, metastatic carcinoma of the pelvic lymph node: 21%). The positive rate of dysplasia in follow up cases was high in the progressive group (regressive group: 0%, persistent group: 62%, progressive group: 80%). These results suggest that EGF-R may play an important role in the early stage of carcinogenesis of uterine cervical cancer, and it will be used as one of the markers in the prognosis of precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix.