An overview of the role and inter-relationship of epidermal growth factor receptor, cyclin D and retinoblastoma protein on the carcinogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx
Ma. Rafferty et al., An overview of the role and inter-relationship of epidermal growth factor receptor, cyclin D and retinoblastoma protein on the carcinogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, CLIN OTOLAR, 26(4), 2001, pp. 317-320
Recent developments in both molecular and cellular biology have improved th
e understanding of the tumorigenesis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Loco-regional recurrence of this condition still poses a significant oncolo
gical management dilemma for a subset of these tumours. Therefore, the poss
ibility that specific tumour characteristics (demonstrable by immunohistoch
emical and molecular biological study) may aid the clinician in choosing th
e optimal treatment for a specific tumour holds great promise. This article
concentrates on the role and inter-relationship of epidermal growth factor
receptor status on the function of cyclin D, and how this is related to th
e presence of retinoblastoma protein. A review of recent studies evaluating
these markers, the potential clinical utility of these findings and the po
ssible directions for further study are discussed.