Association between EGFR expression and clinical outcome of laryngeal HPV squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background: Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA can serve as independent prognostic factors in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx. EGFR correlation with the course of disease and its effect on survival makes EGFR expression a negative prognostic factor, whereas HPV DNA is a positive prognostic factor.

Aim: To assess the association of EGFR expression with clinical outcome of laryngeal HPV SCC.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 196 SCC patients operated on at the Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Split University Hospital Center in Split, Croatia, between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2009.

Results: The association of HPV infection and EGFR expression was found to be statistically significant, and so was the difference in survival between patient groups with different HPV to EGFR expression ratio.

Conclusions: The group of laryngeal HPV SCC patients with increased EGFR expression had shorter survival, confirming EGFR as a major component in predicting patient prognosis and survival.

Significance: This article confirms the importance of EGFR expression as a biomarker in laryngeal SCC.

Chinese abstract

背景：表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）和人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）DNA的表达可以作为喉鳞状细胞癌（SCC）的独立预后因子。 EGFR与疾病过程的相关性及其对存活的影响使EGFR表达成为阴性预后因素, 而HPV DNA是一种阳性预后因素。

目的：评估EGFR表达与喉部HPV SCC临床结果的关系。

材料与方法：本项回顾性研究包括了2000年1月1日至2009年12月31日期间在克罗地亚斯普利特的斯普利特大学医院中心耳鼻喉科头颈外科就诊的196例SCC患者。

结果：发现HPV感染与EGFR表达的相关性具有统计学意义。并且, 具有不同HPV与EGFR表达比率的患者组之间存活率的差异也是如此。

结论：具有增加的EGFR表达的喉部HPV SCC患者存活期较短, 证实EGFR是预示患者预后和生存的主要因素。

意义：本文证实了EGFR表达作为喉鳞状细胞癌生物标志物的重要性。

Keywords:

• Epidermal growth factor receptor
• human papillomavirus
• squamous cell carcinoma
• larynx
• survival

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.