Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the expression of EGFR, Ki67, and p-EPK in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, and to investigate their clinical significance as prognostic markers.Methods: One hundred patients who underwent curative surgery for oral cavity or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in a Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital between March 1999 and October 2010 were evaluated. The level of protein expression of EGFR, Ki67 and p-EPK was assessed by immunohistochemistry. In situ hybridization was used to detect the existence of human papillomavirus (HPV).Results: Nineteen of 75 patients with oropharyngeal cancer showed HPV-positive tumors, and two of 72 patients with oral cavity cancer showed HPV-positive tumors. EGFR and Ki67 expression was significantly higher in oral cavity cancers than in oropharyngeal cancers (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001, respectively). Loss of p-EPK occurred significantly more frequently in oral cavity cancers than in oropharyngeal cancers (p = 0.004). Overexpression of EGFR and Ki67 and loss of p-EPK were observed more frequently in HPV negative tumors. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Ki67 expression had a significantly unfavorable impact on relapse free survival in oropharyngeal cancer.Conclusion: The expression levels of EGFR, Ki67, and p-EPK differ between oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer and it may be attributed to HPV-related molecular pathogenesis. The expression of Ki67 might be an unfavorable prognostic marker for relapse-free survival in oropharyngeal cancer.Keywords: EGFR; Ki67; p-EPK; Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, Expression difference
Highlights
Mucosal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) comprises a heterogeneous group of tumors arising from the epithelial lining of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx
We evaluated the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Ki67 and p-EPK in OSCC and OPSCC, and investigated their clinical significance as a prognostic marker
Previous studies reported that the rate of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity is higher in OPSCC, especially tonsil cancer, than in OSCC [7]
Summary
Mucosal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) comprises a heterogeneous group of tumors arising from the epithelial lining of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. Purpose: To evaluate the expression of EGFR, Ki67, and p-EPK in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, and to investigate their clinical significance as prognostic markers. EGFR and Ki67 expression was significantly higher in oral cavity cancers than in oropharyngeal cancers (p = 0.005 and p = 0.001, respectively). Loss of p-EPK occurred significantly more frequently in oral cavity cancers than in oropharyngeal cancers (p = 0.004).
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