PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR EXPRESSION IN ENDOMETRIOID ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA

We report here a retrospective study of epidermal growth factor recept or (EGFR) expression in 140 patients with human endometrioid endometri al carcinoma (median period of follow-up, 43.8 months; ranging from 1 to 155 months). Tumor specimens were inmunohistochemically examined fo r the overexpression of EGFR and the correlation among EGFR status, va rious clinicopathologic parameters, and prognosis was statistically ev aluated. Monoclonal antibody (clone 31 G 7), which recognizes the extr acellular domain of the EGFR molecule, was used for immunostaining. Ni nety-four of 140 cases were immunohistochemically positive for EGFR (6 7.1%). The presence or absence of EGFR did not correlate with surgical stage, depth of myometrial invasion (DI), or lymph node involvement, but did correlate with histological grade and patient's age. Furthermo re, patients with EGFR-positive endometrial carcinoma had a statistica lly significant shorter length of survival than those with EGFR-negati ve tumors (P =.018). This trend is more apparent among the patients mo re than 50 years old (P =.003). When adjusted for surgical stage, DI, and patient age, EGFR status retained prognostic value by multivariate analysis. However, when adjusted for surgical stage, histological gra de, DI, and patient age, EGFR status failed to retain prognostic value by multivariate analysis. The results of this study suggest that EGFR expression is correlated with histological grade and greater invasive ness of human endometrioid endometrial carcinoma. Copyright (C) 1995 b y W.B. Saunders Company.