Abstract
Purpose The prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression remains unestablished, although EGFR and COX-2 are frequently overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Considering the importance of EGFR activation after ligand binding, however, the expression of phosphorylated EGFR (p-EGFR) may have more significance in predicting tumor aggressiveness in NSCLC than either EGFR or COX-2 expression. Patients and methods We studied the relationships between p-EGFR, EGFR, and COX-2 overexpression and examined their association with prognosis in localized NSCLC. The expression of p-EGFR, EGFR, and COX-2 was studied by immunohistochemistry in 77 surgically-resected stage I/II NSCLC cases. EGFR mutational status was determined by sequencing exons 18–21. Correlation of expression with clinical outcome and other biomarkers, including Ki-67 and microvessel density (MVD), was also examined. Results Out of the 77 patients, EGFR overexpression was observed in 37 (48.1%), p-EGFR expression was found in 22 (28.6%), and COX-2 overexpression was seen in 45 (58.4%). Expression of p-EGFR was associated with COX-2 overexpression (P = 0.047), but not EGFR overexpression or high Ki-67 (P = 0.087 and P = 0.092, respectively). COX-2 overexpression was significantly associated with high Ki-67 (P = 0.011). Expression of p-EGFR correlated with lower disease-free survival (P = 0.045), but not overall survival. Neither EGFR nor COX-2 overexpression was associated with prognosis. Conclusion p-EGFR appears to be a better indicator for lower disease-free survival than EGFR overexpression itself in localized NSCLC. Pathways other than EGFR activation may influence COX-2 overexpression.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by NCI grants R21-CA91565 and U01-CA96123 and a VA merit review award (to MJK). We thank Marguerite Adkins for secretarial support.
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Kim, S.J., Rabbani, Z.N., Dong, F. et al. Phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in localized non-small cell lung cancer. Med Oncol 27, 91–97 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-009-9178-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-009-9178-z