Expression of a truncated epidermal growth factor receptor in oral squamous cell carcinomas

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) frequently overexpresses in cancers , including oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC), We previously identified a truncated EGFR (tEGFR) in human oral keratinocytes. In this study, we eva luated the prognostic value of tEGFR in 45 cases of OSCC, tEGFR expression inversely correlated with EGFR expression (r = -0.83, P < 0.01), decreased with T-stage progression and lymph-node metastasis (P < 0.05), The EGER/tEG FR ratio correlated with the lymph-node metastasis (P < 0.05) and survival outcome (hazard ratio = 3.601: P < 0.05). These results suggest that tEGFR may play an important roles in oral carcinogenesis and that the EGFR/tEGFR ratio may be a prognostic factor for OSCC, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Irelan d Ltd. All rights reserved.