[Detection of an "autocrine loop" between EGF receptor and TGF-alpha in head-neck carcinomas].
BACKGROUND
In order to find a prognostic marker for the course of disease in head and neck cancer, we hypothesized that patients with rapid disease progress would produce increased levels of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) and its cell surface receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).


METHODS
Using molecular biological techniques, we examined the incidence of TGF-alpha and EGFR expression in 43 patients with tumors of the head and neck. The expression data were correlated with the course of disease in four-year follow-up. The tumors were classified into four groups according to the EGFR status: Group 1, no expression for EGFR (15 samples); group 2, expression level 10 for EGFR (18 samples); group 3, expression level 50 for EGFR (7 samples); and group 4, expression level 100 for EGFR (3 samples).


RESULTS
An expression for the TGF-alpha protein was only detected in group 4. There was a significant correlation with EGFR overexpression in group 4 and survival compared with group 3 (p < 0.01) and group 1 (p < 0.05). The mean survival for group 1 to 4 was 27, 33, 34, and 10 months, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of all patients revealed that the patients with synchronous expression of EGFR and TGF-alpha had the poorest prognosis. Increased production of TGF-alpha and EGFR in tumors of the head and neck may serve both as a marker for tumor progression and as a target for preventive therapies.
Issing
W J
WJ
Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkranke, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; D066246:ErbB Receptors