Immunohistologic detection of the epidermal growth factor receptor in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) expression was studied immunohistologically in 38 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The EGF-R was faintly expressed in basal and parabasal layers of normal esophageal epithelia and in cancer nests of 20 patients; it was strongly expressed in all areas of dysplastic epithelia and in cancer nests of 18 patients. The patients with strongly expressed EGF-R had lymph node metastases more frequently, and their prognosis was poorer than those with faintly expressed EGF-R. The EGF-R expression showed a mosaic pattern in 17 patients and a diffuse pattern in 21 patients. The patients with a mosaic pattern had lymph node metastases more frequently and a worse prognosis than those with a diffuse pattern. Expression of EGF-R in metastatic lymph nodes was similar to that in strongly expressing areas of primary cancers with a mosaic pattern. Thus EGF-R expression may be an important indicator for malignancies of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas because primary cancer cells with strongly expressed EGF-R metastasize to lymph nodes more frequently.
Yano
H
H
Second Department of Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Shiozaki
H
H
Kobayashi
K
K
Yano
T
T
Tahara
H
H
Tamura
S
S
Mori
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000648:ultrastructure; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D013194:Staining and Labeling
D066246:ErbB Receptors