关键词: 口腔鳞状细胞癌, 表皮生长因子受体, 免疫组化, 预后

Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression profile of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in OSCC tissues and cell lines, and to elucidate its clinical significance and prognostic value. Methods EGFR expression was characterized in 108 OSCC and 64 adjacent normal tissues via immunohistochemistry (IHC). Correlations between EGFR levels and clinicopathological parameters, as well as patient survival, were statistically analyzed. Furthermore, Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were employed to quantify EGFR protein and mRNA levels across a panel of oral epithelial and OSCC cell lines. Results EGFR expression was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues compared to normal controls (P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.838, indicating robust diagnostic efficacy. High EGFR expression significantly correlated with tumor differentiation grade (P=0.027) and depth of invasion (P = 0.041). Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression identified EGFR expression, differentiation grade, T-stage, and TNM stage as independent prognostic indicators (P<0.01). Consistently, both protein and mRNA levels of EGFR were significantly elevated in OSCC cell lines relative to normal oral epithelial cells (P<0.05). Conclusion EGFR is highly expressed in OSCC and may serve as a potential diagnostic marker and an indicator of poor prognosis.

Key words: oral squamous cell carcinoma, epidermal growth factor receptor, immunohistochemistry, prognosis