title: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is not related to the prognosis of cervical cancer.
abstract: We analyzed the prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a large prospective series of 90 cervical cancer patients observed for a long follow-up period. EGFR levels ranged from 0 to 52.1 fmol/mg protein, with a median value of 6.0 fmol/mg protein. Patients with an advanced stage of disease expressed lower EGFR levels than those with an early stage of disease (median values were 7.8 fmol/mg protein for patients with stage I-II and 4.2 fmol/mg protein for patients with stage III-IV, P = 0.013). There was no correlation between EGFR expression and other clinicopathological parameters analyzed. No significant relationship was shown between EGFR positivity and overall survival. No significant relationship between EGFR status and disease-free survival was observed. Cox univariate regression analysis using EGFR as a continuous variable showed that EGFR levels are not associated with the risk of disease recurrence after treatment or death (P-value not significant). Our data didn't seem to indicate a prognostic role of EGFR in cervical cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Catholic University, L. go A. Gemelli, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrandina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Distefano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Benedetti-Panici
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mancuso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors