title: Expressions of c-erbB-2, epidermal growth factor receptor and pan-ras proto-oncogenes in adenocarcinoma of the cervix: correlation with clinical prognosis.
abstract: The expressions of c-erbB-2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and pan-ras in normal cervical glands (n=45), glandular dysplasia/adenocarcinoma in situ (GIN/ACIS) (n=32) and invasive cervical adenocarcinoma (n=78) were determined and correlated with clinical prognosis. The expressions of c-erbB-2, EGFR and pan-ras in GIN/ACIS lesions and invasive tumours were significantly higher than in normal glands (p<0.001), whereas there was no significant difference between expressions in GIN/ACIS lesions and invasive tumours, except for EGFR (p=0.016). Significantly more normal glands adjacent to adenocarcinoma showed moderate/strong expressions for EGFR than c-erbB-2 (p=0.007) whereas significantly more GIN/ACIS lesions showed moderate/strong expressions for c-erbB-2 than EGFR (p=0.008). No correlation was found between moderate/strong expressions for c-erbB-2, EGFR or pan-ras and stage at presentation (p=0.384, 0.056, 0.842 respectively) or with survival (p=0.58, 0.19, 0.26 respectively). In conclusion, EGFR is more important in inducing dysplastic change/malignant transformation whereas c-erbB-2 plays a more significant role in tumour progression and invasion. However, neither c-erbB-2, EGFR nor pan-ras carried any prognostic significance on patient survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, P.R. China. twleung@hkucc.hku.hk
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Ngan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015996:Survival Rate; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D018631:ras Proteins