An Immunohistochemical Study on the Expression of the Epidermal Growth Factor and Its Receptor in the Superficial Carcinoma of Esophagus

Abstract

An immunohistochemical study on the expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) was performed on 36 cases of superficial carcinoma of the esophagus and 32 advanced cases. Immunoreactivity was classified into 2 groups according to the extent of the stained area in cancer tissue. A significant correlation was observed between depth of invasion, lymphatic invasion and EGF staining (p<0.05, p<0.001). The survival rate of patients with positive EGF staining was lower than that of those with negative staining (p<0.05). Both EGF and EGF-R positive staining were correlated with lymphatic invasion (p<0.005), and poor prognosis. EGF staining of recurrent carcinoma was positive in all cases. These data suggested that the expression of EGF and EGF-R was already present in superficial carcinoma of the esophagus, and EGF expression was of greater prognostic significance in superficial carcinoma of the esophagus.