IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR AND ITS RECEPTOR IN NORMAL, PREMALIGNANT AND MALIGNANT ORAL-MUCOSA

An important growth factor involved in epithelial carcinogenesis is th e epidermal growth factor (EGF). The present study analyze the express ion pattern of EGF and its receptor (EGFR) in different stages of tumo ur progression in oral mucosa (normal epithelium, non-dysplastic and d ysplastic leukoplakias and carcinomas). Alterations in expression patt ern of EGFR was not significant in the various tissues from normal muc osa to malignancy. In all these stages EGFR positivity was confined to the immature basal or basaloid cells. EGF however showed marked alter ations in expression in different stages of tumour progression in oral mucosa. Most of the malignant cells were positive for EGF antibodies while, only a few lower layers of cells were stained in normal mucosa and in dysplastic leukoplakia lesions, more number of cells expressed EGF than normal tissue. The present study thus shows the autocrine rol e of the EGF and EGFR and the possibility of using EGF as a marker for tumour progression in oral mucosa.