title: Correlations between expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphorylated EGFR, cyclooxygenase-2 and clinicopathological variables and treatment outcomes in nasopharyngeal carcinomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate immunoexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFRTyr1068), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and analyze their prognostic utility in nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a retrospective review of charts and tissue specimens. The immunoexpression levels of EGFR, pEGFRTyr1068, and COX-2 were semiquantitatively assessed by the H-score method for 170 NPC samples from patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ranges of immunohistochemical H-scores were 0-510 (median 225) for EGFR, 0-395 (median 25) for pEGFRTyr1068, and 0-460 (median 170) for COX-2. None of these 3 markers were significantly associated with one another, clinicopathological factors, or the rates of locoregional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), or overall survival (OS). In multivariate analysis, the independent adverse prognosticators were T-stage for LRC, N-stage for DMFS, and T-stage, N-stage, and age > 60 years for OS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immunoexpression levels of EGFR, pEGFRTyr1068, and COX-2 were not related to clinicopathological variables and not predictive of outcomes of NPC patients treated with RT alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Tai-Lin
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chien-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hsuan-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Fu-Min
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000032:analysis*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D066246:ErbB Receptors