PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF THE PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR IN PRIMARY BREAST-CANCER

Bearing in mind the continuing controversy over the prognostic signifi cance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-r) expression, we inves tigated its clinical significance prospectively in 345 primary breast cancer patients. The prognostic significance of EGF-r expression, as m easured by a radioligand binding assay, was determined by Cox's multiv ariate analysis using EGF-r concentration as a continuous or dichotomo us variable. Increased EGF-r expression was detected in 20-32% of tumo urs, depending on the cut-off in concentration used. EGF-r expression, irrespective of the cut-off, was not associated with tumour size or g rade or the number of axillary nodes involved. There was, however, a s trong inverse association between EGF-r expression and the absence of hormone receptors. After a median follow-up period of 57 months, multi variate analysis suggested that EGF-r expression was associated with i ncreases in risk for both relapse and death from breast cancer, even a fter adjusting for oestrogen receptor (ER) concentration, tumour size and the number of axillary nodes involved. Patients with ER-positive t umours, which also expressed EGF-r, had increases in risk for both rel apse and death from breast cancer compared with tumours without EGF-r. Expression of EGF-r was not a predictor of poor prognosis in either n ode-negative or ER-negative subgroups of patients. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss , Inc.